Barry Keoghan hits back at claims he is a 'deadbeat dad' and says trolls discussing his parenting makes him 'furious': 'I'm not an absent father'

Barry Keoghan has hit back at claims that he is a deadbeat dad, saying he wants to create 'safety' for his son.

The Saltburn actor, 32, is father to two-year-old son Brando with his ex-girlfriend Alyson Kierans who he split from in mid-2023. 

During an interview on The Louis Theroux Podcast, Barry spoke about his tough upbringing which saw him living in foster care while his mother - who died when he was 12 - struggled with drug addiction. 

The actor acknowledged his upbringing has impacted the way he parents his child but pushed back against claims he is an absent dad.

He said: 'If I didn't have tough skin or the strength to have, I wouldn't be sitting here. 

'Of course, (my childhood is) going to affect me being a father when I had no blueprint to take from.

'People just read that (as) laziness and go, 'Oh, that's no excuse to be an absent father'. I'm not an absent father.'

The film star said he is infuriated by some of the comments he reads about himself online, describing comments about his parenting or appearance as 'slander'.

He added: 'Just the audacity of some people, man. It sickens me, makes me furious. I've been off it (social media) because when I'm going through a role, I'm getting into character. I stay away from the internet.

'But, again, when I've got a bit of time, I am a curious being like all of us and you want to know what (people are saying online) especially when it's slander and when it's bad comments attacking my appearance or attacking me as a father.'

Barry said he is 'just trying to make a living, trying to get a good body of work and create safety for my child'. 

Speaking about his mother, Barry described her as 'gorgeous, almost like six-foot, dark hair, just beautiful,' but said drug addiction 'caught her'.

He added: 'It's sad to see the deterioration of people around the area and see people kind of struggle with it and the recovery they're in now,' 

'It caught my mum, it caught my uncle who died of it and caught my father as well.' 

Barry, who is from Summerhill in Dublin, went through over 10 foster homes before eventually settling with his grandmother. He said the experience 'kind of haunts me still'. 

Of being in care, Barry said: 'You don't forget waiting on the social worker steps and waiting for the new family to come and play with you in the playground they have in the office and see if it's going to work and then go with them to a whole new area and a whole new home. [...]

'And you know, the car journeys there and they're the things that haunt and I don't blame her. It's a sickness.'

Speaking about his experience in a chat with The Sunday Times, Barry revealed he prays to his mother 'every day' following her death 19 years ago. 

He admitted that losing his mother 'wasn't a shock', adding 'But oh, she was so beautiful.'

Barry struggled at school, where he was considered a naughty pupil, and was kicked out of school plays for 'messing about'.

But he previously revealed that acting helped him overcome some of the trauma of his childhood, after initially pursuing careers in boxing and football. 

The actor went on to star in international blockbusters like The Eternals and Batman before achieving critical-acclaim for his role as Dominic Kearney in The Banshees of Inisherin.