Barry Keoghan is pulling back the curtain on a deeply personal chapter of his life — opening up, for the first time, about his struggles with addiction.
In a candid new interview with Hollywood Authentic, the 32-year-old Saltburn actor reflected on the hardships he faced growing up, including the loss of his mother when he was just 12 years old. She died from a heroin overdose, and Barry says that, despite the trauma, he still found himself pulled toward the very thing that took her life.
“I’m not in denial anymore. I understand that I do have an addiction, and I am an addict,” Barry said. “You know, when you accept that, you finally can move on, and learn to work with it.”
His words are raw, honest, and carry the weight of a lifetime of grief. Barry also revealed that his father died from addiction-related issues, and other members of his family have struggled, too.
“My father passed away as a result of similar and I lost my mum to it,” he continued. “I’ve lost two uncles and a cousin to drugs. That should be enough to go, ‘OK, if I dabble here, I’m f–ked.’ But your curiosity is a powerful thing.”
Even after becoming a father himself in 2022 — his son Brando is now two — Barry admits that fatherhood wasn’t enough to stop him from continuing to use.
“Even my own son coming into this world didn’t stop me from being curious,” he shared. “You know, you go to LA, you go to Hollywood, wherever the big scene is. There’s an enormous amount of pressure, and a different lifestyle that is good and bad for you.”
“You’re around the scene,” he added. “You just happen to be the one that ends up doing it.”
The Oscar nominee also opened up about what it was like growing up in Dublin, watching his mother struggle with heroin while he and his brother were kept at arm’s length.
“I remember being kids here and hearing my mum scream through the letterbox, asking for us, while she’s battling addiction, while she’s looking for money to score,” Barry recalled. “And we were just told to stay in bed. We weren’t to go down and hug her.”
He even revealed that he still carries physical reminders of that time.
“I’ve got scars here to literally prove it,” he said, referring to his arms. “They’re a result of using. I’m at peace now, and responsible for everything that I do. I’m accepting. I’m present. I’m content. I’m a father. I’m getting to just see that haze that was once there – it’s just a bit sharper now, and colorful.”
As for why he chose to share his story publicly now, Barry explained it’s about helping people understand the path he’s walked.
“I just want people to get an insight into where I come from,” he said. “I’m very proud to carry that, and for people out in the acting world and the industry to understand that there’s a lot weighing on this.”
