Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of drug abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
Barry Keoghan, who has been open about his troubled childhood, recently appeared on an episode of “The Louis Theroux Podcast” and recalled the haunting memory of his mother screaming for drug money. The actor and his younger brother were taken into foster care at a young age. Moreover, their mother reportedly passed away from a heroin overdose when he was 12.
While appearing on “The Louis Theroux Podcast,” Keoghan remembered his late mother, saying, “My mom, she was lovely. She was gorgeous, almost like six-foot, dark hair, just beautiful, like every lad was chasing her.” He continued to recall how she fell victim to heroin abuse, “This thing caught her, like many families.” Keoghan said, “It’s sad to see the deterioration of people around the area and see people kind of struggle with it and the recovery they’re in now.” The actor further shared, “It caught my mom, it caught my uncle, who died of it, and caught my father as well.”
Barry Keoghan reveals what his mother’s heroin addiction did to him
During the podcast interview, Barry Keoghan revealed that his father “wasn’t there” when he was young and his mother “couldn’t just look after” her sons. As a result, the actor and his younger brother, Eric, were taken into foster care and went through several different homes. Keoghan shared how the difficult times still haunt him. However, he said, “I don’t blame her,” and added that the heroin addiction is “a sickness.”
Later, Keoghan revealed why Leonardo DiCaprio’s 1995 movie “The Basketball Diaries” resonated with him. The movie is based on the true story of Jim Carroll, a high school basketball player who became addicted to heroin. Keoghan recalled a heartbreaking scene from the film, which he believes “hits hard” as he explained that the same also happened at his grandmother’s house.
The actor shared, “I remember laying in bed and [my mom] screaming through the letterbox, just wanting money.” Keoghan continued, “We had to lay in bed and my aunt and granny was like, ‘Just don’t go down.'” The 32-year-old then said, “That haunts me. You know, that was one of the last times I heard her, like, her voice, and that stuff haunts me.” The actor also talked about how his childhood experiences had shaped him as a person and as a parent today.
