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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Cian O'Broin

Barry Keoghan confirms next major role as he takes on 'dream assignment' as Billy the Kid

Oscar-nominated Irish actor Barry Keoghan is looking ahead to a new role with which he is hoping to tell the story of a very famous outlaw.

The Banshees of Inisherin actor has signalled his plans to play Billy the Kid, who was an outlaw and gunslinger from the American Old West, who had reportedly killed 21 men by the age of 21.

Dublin-born Keoghan, now 30, told Deadline that he hopes to "humanise" the previously told versions where Billy was only seen as "cool, calm and collected."

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Billy the Kid, born Henry McCarthy, was born to parents with Irish heritage in New York City. The famous horse thief and outlaw was orphaned before reaching adulthood.

Keoghan hopes to tell this side of the story with the use of his own personal experience, having entered the foster system at 12 years old himself, after losing his mother to a drug overdose.

He said he understood the desperate choices that Billy took which led him to a life of crime.

Barry told the industry publication that he wants to step outside the legend that was built up by the papers and tackle the pressures Billy the Kid must have felt from those early days.

"He was running his whole life. I felt related to Billy in the sense of him being a mummy’s boy, but obviously, I took a different path, turning my circumstances into something positive rather than rebelling against them," he explained.

The film is due to be directed by Bart Layton, who worked with Keoghan on American Animals. Production is expected to start in 2024.

Barry, who is looking forward to next month's 95th Academy Awards, said he hopes this Billy the Kid role, which he first pitched in 2023, is one he is "remembered for."

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