“It was a street casting. I was a kid in the inner city of Dublin and there was a flyer inside a shop window and I showed up,” says Barry Keoghan of his career’s beginnings.

Now, having caught critics and audiences’ attention alike in Dunkirk, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and now Sundance hit American Animals, it’s clear that the 25-year-old actor has tremendous talent. American Animals, directed by Bart Layton, is a story of four young men who attempt to execute one of the most noteworthy art heists the U.S. has ever witnessed. “This was my second time at Sundance and it was so thrilling to get such a lovely reaction. It ended up being a big-seater so the buzz and promotion of the film took up most of my time, but it was great to get the boys back in the same room and all watch it together,” says Keoghan.

His rise in the industry has afforded him a wide range of film experiences. He got to work intimately with seasoned A-listers Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell in The Killing of a Sacred Deer, of which he says, “The film is a total experience like none other; an experiment of sorts. Nicole and Colin taught me a lot as an actor, especially about what it’s like to commit to an intense film without creating an intense set.” But regardless of Keoghan’s rising fame, becoming star-struck is still a very real thing. “I recently was in the same room as Leonardo DiCaprio and one of my favorite movies is Basketball Diaries,” he says. “That movie hits home for me in so many ways, and in that moment I was like, I have to thank this dude. So I did.” Never wavering from his small-town Irish roots, Keoghan now constantly reminds himself that what got him to this place in his life is “being passionate.”

This story appears in the pages of V113: now available for purchase!

Photography Sharif Hamza 

Fashion Andrew Mukamal 

Makeup Ciara O’shea (Lga)

Hair Rubi Jones (Julian Watson)

Producer Ashley Herson

Local Producer Kate Holland

Digital Technician Casey Richardson

Photo Assistants Tim Hoffman, Shen Williams-Cohen

Stylist Assistant Jermaine Daley

Hair Assistant Megan Gorley

Production Assistants Tom O’meara, Rique Carroll

Retouching Hempstead May

Location Park City Peaks Hotel