Rising Irish star Barry Keoghan is winning critical acclaim for his role in Banshees of Inisherin, but was almost cast in ‘Dune 2’.
Just over a year ago, rising star Barry Keoghan tweeted some emojis which people took to mean that he had auditioned for – and possibly won – the role of Feyd Reutha in Dune: Part Two.
Fans of both Dune and Keoghan responded enthusiastically to this, but it ended up not coming to fruition, as Elvis star Austin Butler instead won the role.
In a new interview with the New York Times, Keoghan confirms that he was involved in “a process,” which certainly sounds like an audition, for Dune: Part Two; “Ah, yeah, I really enjoyed that process. Look, I’m a big fan of Dune, and it would have been nice to be part of it. I’m a big fan of Timothée [Chalamet, the star of the franchise] as well. But it wasn’t for me. You have to accept that sometimes. Sometimes it’s not for you.”
In the interview, Keoghan discusses being known as a “scene-stealer,” with him having impactful supporting or ensemble roles in the likes of The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Dunkirk, American Animals, The Green Knight, Eternals, and The Banshees of Inisherin.
Keoghan says; “Well, the aim is to go from being a scene-stealer to being the star of a movie. Am I able to do that? We’re going to see that with Saltburn [coming soon from Emerald Fennell]. It’s my first lead role, and the first time I had to really step up in terms of stamina and just being fully committed. I always want to test myself. I don’t ever want to get to a stage where I think I have it figured out. So the scene-stealing thing — it’s nice, but I don’t want to be known as that. I want people to see me and think, ‘That boy can hold a movie.’”
Keoghan’s turn in Matt Reeves’ The Batman couldn’t even really be described as a supporting role, but surely they wouldn’t tease The Joker if he wasn’t going to have a role in the sequel? Keoghan says; “That would be a dream, I tell you. I already have a back story that I’ve created in case it does happen — a totally fresh way of playing him.”
