Barry Keoghan discusses creative audition methods at Alice nella Città

Irish actor Barry Keoghan discussed his career methods at a masterclass during the Alice nella città festival on October 17, explaining that he secured major roles in films such as the upcoming Beatles biographical project by creating his own audition tapes using self-made creative approaches.

Auditioning for Ringo Starr

Keoghan is cast as Ringo Starr in Sam Mendes’s upcoming project The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event. To secure the role, the actor produced his own audition materials. While in New York on the morning of the Met Gala—described in the material as the busiest day of the year—he filmed a black-and-white video at 6:00 AM using an interview of Ringo Starr as a blueprint.

Securing Roles in Marvel and Batman Franchises

The actor detailed similar self-starting strategies for previous blockbusters. For Chloé Zhao’s Marvel film Eternals, Keoghan’s assigned character Druig was initially slated to be played by Keanu Reeves; Reeves’s image was still present during Keoghan’s first costume fitting. Zhao advocated for Keoghan, prompting the actor to film a video set against a Los Angeles forest background to match his character’s Amazonian setting.

For Matt Reeves’s Batman, Keoghan envisioned himself playing the Joker. He recorded a short audition video inside his manager’s office, adding background music to complete the submission.

Festival Competition and Upcoming Release

Keoghan stars as Azik in Butterfly Jam, directed by Kantemir Balagov. The film is set in Newark, New Jersey, and follows a sixteen-year-old of Circassian descent named Pyteh, played by Talha Akdogan, who balances wrestling training with working at the family restaurant amid financial strain. In the film, Pyteh views his father as a role model until an impulsive decision by Azik alters his life. Butterfly Jam is in competition at Alice nella città and is scheduled for theatrical release in Italy on November 26 through Europictures, following a previous competition in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.