Barry Keoghan Says the Online ‘Abuse of How I Look’ Is ‘a Problem’

Barry Keoghan not too long ago told SiriusXM’s “The Morning Mash Up” (through EW) that the on-line “abuse” about his look has gotten so unhealthy that he now not desires to “go outside.”

“There’s a lot of hate online,” Keoghan explained. “There’s a lot of abuse of how I look, and it’s kind of past the point of — you know, everyone goes through that… but it’s made me shy away. It’s made me really go inside myself, not want to attend places, not want to go outside.”

He added, “I say this being absolute pure and honest to you. It’s becoming a problem.”

Keoghan explained that he’s eliminated himself from social media, however often, after a premiere or event, he’ll log on to see “how it’s received.” Unfortunately, he said most of the time, the response is “not nice.”

When responding to a query about discovering peace in his personal life, the “Saltburn” star said, “I don’t have to hide away ’cause I am hiding away… I actually don’t go to places because of these things.”

Keoghan added that he fears the anxieties about his look may have an effect on his profession. “When that starts leaking into your art, it becomes a problem, because then you don’t want to even be on screen anymore.”

He also worries about what his younger son, Brando, will assume when he’s sufficiently old to read the on-line hate for himself.

Keoghan added, “It is disappointing for the fans, but it’s also disappointing that my little boy has to read all of this stuff when he gets older.”