Saltburn star Barry Keoghan could have died from flesh-eating disease

Last Updated on January 12, 2024

Barry Keoghan has been on a serious upswing over the past several years, truly kicking off his current run with a disturbing performance in Killing of a Sacred Deer and Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk before hitting a steady stream of everything from period dramas to Marvel entries to even playing The Joker. His latest film, Saltburn, has become a major hit for Prime Video, with it one of the most memed-movies ever on TikTok. But his promising future could have been cut short after he contracted a flesh-eating disease that kills one in five of those who catch it.

Barry Keoghan caught necrotizing fasciitis just before filming on The Banshees of Inisherin began, prompting him to head to the hospital and ask his doctors if he was going to die. They weren’t sure but even if he did make it through, it was possible they would have to amputate his arm. Still, he trooped through production. As director Martin McDonagh put it, “I’m not sure if he was on a lot of meds, but he seemed to shrug it off…We were only about four days out from shooting, and his arm was puffed up. But he was like, ‘Yeah, no, I’m going to be fine—I’ll see you on Tuesday.’ I went to the hospital thinking, Sh*t—is he going to die? Let alone, is he going to make the movie. But I came out of there energized and looking forward to it.”

Keoghan also remembered McDonagh telling him, “Just remember this when you’ve been nominated for an Oscar.” And Keoghan did get his first nomination; while he didn’t win, that would have made one badass footnote in his acceptance speech. His resulting scar – among, uh, other things – can actually be seen in Saltburn.

Barry Keoghan has a number of other projects lined up, including Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air, Christopher Andrews’ Bring Them Down and more. He had also been attached to Gladiator 2 – being replaced by Fred Hechinger – and a Billy the Kid movie. While details have been slim on the latter, no doubt his qualities would lend to yet another incredible performance.

What has been your favorite Barry Keoghan performance so far? What do you hope to see from him in the future? Let us know in the comments section below.