Salt burn Star Barry Keoghan steps into a very different role for his latest project Birdfollows the strained relationship between a teenage girl and her single father, but for the 31-year-old, who is a parent himself, the film wasn't a complete departure, even if it was a different dynamic from what he experienced with his own child.
The Irish actor has a two-year-old son, Brando, with ex-girlfriend Alyson Kierans, from whom he split last year. (He is currently with singer-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter.) Entertainment Weekly At the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival Bird Currently on set, Keoghan spoke about how his personal experiences, or lack thereof, influenced his performance.
“I'll just say this—I didn't have a father figure growing up, so even my relationship with my son is not a normal father-son relationship, because I don't have that figure to experience it and ground it,” he explained. “Love, you don't have to draw on anything, love is pure, and so I'm not talking about that, but I'm talking about the little things like teaching your son this or your daughter that.”
In the film, Keoghan's character Bug tells his 12-year-old daughter Bailey (Nykiya Adams) that he plans to marry his girlfriend, which leaves the teenager hurt and angry. He went on to describe the relationship between the two characters as more of a brother-sister dynamic rather than a typical father-daughter relationship.
“When I came into this business, I didn't have that [normal experience]So that means there's a lot of brotherly chemistry. [for Bug and Bailey]”, it just felt right for that,” he continued. “And you see these days — there's so many young dads and young moms out there, and they're almost like siblings, you know what I mean? It's nice.”
Keoghan noted that there are moments throughout the film where his character “has to step up as a father and make very important choices and decisions,” even if they're not necessarily the best ones. “But for me, the experience of playing a father was like: Obviously I'm a father but at that age, 12 in the movie, and what am I going to base that on?”
Bird It has received generally positive reviews since premiering in Cannes earlier this year. A theatrical release has not yet been announced, but it is likely to arrive in theaters or on streaming services next year.