Irish actor Barry Keoghan has been acting for over a decade now but really gained recognition in 2017 when he appeared in two fantastic movies — Yorgos Lanthimos' The Killing of a Sacred Deer and Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk. His performance as the chilling Martin in The Killing of a Sacred Deer especially solidified him as an actor on the rise, and one to keep an eye on. Fast forward to 2023 and you don't even need to try to watch Keoghan. He is the moment! Starring in Emerald Fennell's dark comedy Saltburn this year has turned him into not only the latest internet boyfriend, but also an incredibly versatile actor who's willing to do it all for the sake of art.
At 31 years old, Keoghan has already been nominated for an Academy Award and has worked with some of the best directors of our time, as well as some of the most talented and successful actors. We cannot wait to see what 2024 brings for the Dublin native, which is sure to be another big year. In the meantime, we're looking back at his best and biggest movies to date and ranking them by quality. Coming in last place on the list is a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie that, sadly, didn't exactly live up to expectations.
8. Eternals
With Chloé Zhao in the director's chair, there were high hopes surrounding Eternals. The MCU movie came out in 2021 and follows an ensemble cast as the titular immortal beings who come back to Earth to save the planet from another species called the Deviants. Keoghan plays Druig, a fan-favorite who has a romantic relationship with fellow Eternal Makkari (Lauren Ridloff).
Eternals is one of those movies that looks good on paper but the execution on screen just isn't great. Zhao had just come off the success of her 2020 movie Nomadland, which won big at the Academy Awards and earned her the award for Best Director. The cast of Eternals is also incredibly strong (maybe the best cast of an MCU movie ever?) including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, and other big names.
So what happened? While the movie looks pretty good, it introduces too many characters and storylines that are difficult to follow, making for a jumbled mess of a story. If you're a Marvel fan, Eternals is still a must-watch, of course, and that's why it's on the list of Keoghan's "best" movies. But of the bunch, it's the weakest.
Where to watch: Stream on Disney+