‘Saltburn’ will bring Barry Keoghan back to the Oscars

Jacob Sarkisian
·4 min read
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Barry Keoghan is fast becoming one of the hottest actors around after he picked up his first Oscar nomination this year and then appeared as the Joker in a deleted scene in Matt Reeves‘ “The Batman.” Add to that previous acting credits such as “Dunkirk” and “Eternals” and future acting credits like “Bird,” and you’ve got a star in the making.

That Oscar nomination came earlier this year for Best Supporting Actor for his memorable turn in Martin McDonagh‘s “The Banshees of Inisherin.” He was nominated alongside co-star Brendan Gleeson, although they lost out to Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”). Still, it was a notable moment in this young, Irish actor’s career. But things could be about to get better.

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His latest role comes in Emerald Fennell‘s sophomore outing as a director — her biting, satirical comedy-drama “Saltburn.” Keoghan stars as Oliver, an oddball Oxford student who becomes obsessed with Felix (Jacob Elordi), his rich classmate. He later stays at Saltburn, the extraordinary manor house belonging to Felix’s family. It’s at Saltburn that the drama really notches up and Keoghan gets to show off the depth of his acting abilities. As Oliver, Keoghan is at once pathetic and pitiful, likable and intelligent, sorrowful and dangerous. It’s a wonderful role for an actor and it culminates in a supremely satisfying ending with a daring, remarkable sequence from Keoghan that proves he is a brave, brave actor (no spoilers here, don’t worry). And critics agree.

Kristy Puchko (Mashable) observed: “Keoghan commits full-bodied to a role that dares you to look away… Keoghan’s penetrating gaze focuses on Felix, and it’s hard to gauge if what Oliver is feeling is love, lust, jealousy, hatred, or a heady mix of all this and more. The role of Oliver is made up of masks, and Keoghan wears each one so convincingly that it’s an enthralling game to guess which is real.”

Maureen Lee Lenker (EW) explained: “Keoghan turns in a towering performance, sinister and irresistible in equal measure. He gives himself over to the plot’s machinations with malicious glee, his sad eyes and severe cheekbones an effective mask for Oliver’s performative, manipulative existence. Keoghan approaches every scene here with a remarkable level of abandon, propelling the film to its divinely gonzo conclusion.”

Tomris Laffly (The Wrap) wrote: “He’s a performer of steely blue eyes and a razor-sharp gaze that slices his round visage, an actor of rare intensity who can break your heart and freeze your blood simultaneously, sometimes in the same scene. Those qualities are at the heart of his quick study of an Oxford student character, Oliver Quick.”

This has led to Keoghan climbing up the ranks of our Best Actor odds chart. He’s still outside of our predicted five nominees but he is gaining traction and is on the precipice of breaking into the top five along with Jeffrey Wright (“American Fiction”), Andrew Scott (“All of Us Strangers”), and Joaquin Phoenix (“Napoleon”). Our predicted five are Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Bradley Cooper (“Maestro”), Colman Domingo (“Rustin”), and Paul Giamatti (“The Holdovers”). However, don’t count Keoghan out just yet.

He is a young star who is just coming into his own — voters like that in this category. Just look at recent nominees such as Austin Butler (“Elvis”), Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Timothée Chalamet (“Call Me By Your Name”), and Daniel Kaluuya (“Get Out”). Keoghan would be the latest charismatic up-and-coming leading man to land a Best Actor nomination. The role, too, is something to be admired. There’s a courage to this role — not least that aforementioned finale. Voters like brave performances, and this counts as one of them. Other brave performances that have led to Best Actor bids include Joaquin Phoenix (winner) in “Joker,” Chalamet in “Call Me By Your Name,” Eddie Redmayne in “The Danish Girl,” and Leonardo DiCaprio (winner) in “The Revenant.” Keoghan’s performance would fit right alongside those, and his peers would appreciate his commitment to the role here.

Plus, we know that voters like Fennell. “Promising Young Woman” received five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director nominations and a Best Original Screenplay win for Fennell. Most notably, however, Carey Mulligan was nominated for Best Actress. Fennell creates spectacular characters for her leading actors and Keoghan could be the next beneficiary of that.

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