Barry Keoghan is grappling with a surge of online negativity, prompting the acclaimed actor to reconsider his public life and even his career. The Saltburn star recently revealed the toll relentless criticism of his appearance has taken, particularly following his split from pop singer Sabrina Carpenter.
Keoghan, who gained widespread recognition for his roles in films like The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) and Saltburn (2023), is now set to portray Ringo Starr in an upcoming Beatles film – a project he’s beginning to approach with caution. The film is highly anticipated, adding to the pressure Keoghan feels from the public eye.
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up on March 20, Keoghan opened up about the isolating effect of the online harassment. “There’s a lot of hate online. It’s a lot of abuse of how I look,” he said. “I think I removed myself from online, but I’m still a curious human being that wants to go on and, if I attend an event or if I go somewhere, you want to see how it was received,” he continued. “And it’s not nice.”
The actor explained that the constant negativity has led him to withdraw from public life. “It’s becoming a problem,” Keoghan confessed. “I don’t have to hide away because I am hiding away. I don’t have to go to places because I actually don’t go to places because of these things.”
He added, with absolute sincerity, “les digo esto con absoluta sinceridad: se está convirtiendo en un problema” – a sentiment that underscores the depth of his distress.
Keoghan deactivated his social media accounts in 2024, around the time of his breakup with Carpenter. Whereas he occasionally checks online, particularly after premieres, he finds the experience unpleasant. The actor’s experience highlights the growing challenges celebrities face navigating online scrutiny.
He also expressed concern that the anxiety surrounding his appearance could impact his work. “When that starts leaking into your art, it becomes a problem, because then you don’t even want to be on screen anymore,” he lamented. He worries about the long-term effects of this pressure on his creative process.
