Barry Keoghan inSaltburn(2023).Photo:MGM / Courtesy Everett Collection

MGM / Courtesy Everett Collection
Barry Keoghanis happily working outside his comfort zone.
In a newly published interview forVanity Fair’s 30th annual Hollywood issue, theSaltburnstar reflects on stripping down for his full-frontal dance scene at the end of theEmerald Fennell-directed psychological thriller, saying he was “pretty impressed with how I moved.”
“I was like, ‘Wow,’ " said Keoghan, 31. “In the final moment of the dance, I twirl twice, and if you look at my footwork, it’s linked to boxing. It’s all about footwork and moving the hips and stuff like that. That definitely came into factor, subconsciously.”
“I was afraid to move my hips and move my body in a certain way, but the set was made quite comfortable for me,” he continued. “Once the camera goes up, I always feel a bit safe, and I have the license to kind of waltz in that environment.”
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Barry Keoghan inSaltburn(2023).MGM

MGM
“It’s crazy,” the Irish actor toldVanity Fairof the attention. “It can be detrimental to the mind and your mental state if you read into it too much or you look at too much stuff being said.”
But at the end of the day, “I wouldn’t go there if I wasn’t prepared for that, or if I wasn’t open to receiving what people want to say,” Keoghan explained. “I think it shows an act of maturity in your craft, and if it justifies the story and moves it forward, why not? You look at European cinema and they tend to have a lot ofscenes that involve nudity, and it’s not a massive thing, really.”
“But I think it’s true art. It really is. And it’s true vulnerability as well,” he continued. “You’re really kind of putting yourself out there in the most vulnerable state. It’s beautiful to look at. I’m not saying it’s because of my body, but it’s freeing to see that body move around in the way it does. It’s like a moving painting, almost.”

Of relating to moments from his own life to play Oliver, Keoghan toldVanity Fair, “I didn’t really draw parallels to him the way I have to certain other characters.”
“I do dance around naked though, in my house,” he continued, laughing. “Everyone does, man. We allsing in the shower. We all act silly when we’re alone and we feel this freedom. It’s one thing that I did relate to. Not dancing around a manor of that sort with that fecking drip hanging about — but I sing out loud, I dance silly and move my body silly.”
source: people.com