Barry Keoghan: I created my opportunities, even to play Ringo

ROMA, 18/10/2026 — In a masterclass in the Alice nella città section, a parallel space of the Rome Film Festival, the Irish actor Barry Keoghan spoke about how he has created his own professional opportunities, turning to home-made videos and self-tapes to land important roles in productions such as Eternals, The Batman, and the recent project about the Beatles, according to ANSA.

Masterclass of Barry Keoghan at the Rome Film Festival — Alice nella città

Keoghan participated in a session where he shared practical experiences about acting and approaching directors and crews. The masterclass took place during the Alice nella città program, which accompanies the 2026 Rome Film Festival. In the festival’s main competition, Keoghan is featured with the film Butterfly Jam, by director Kantemir Balagov, shown at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section and with a release set for November 26 by Europictures, according to schedules released, per ANSA.

How Keoghan created opportunities with self-tapes

The actor described a proactive attitude in pursuing roles: when a project sparked his interest, he would reach out to directors and teams himself, often sending creative self-tapes that illustrated his vision of the character.

• For Eternals, directed by Chloé Zhao, Keoghan noted that his character Druig ended up taking scenes originally written for another performer (Keanu Reeves, according to his explanation in the masterclass). To persuade the directors, he filmed a video set in a Los Angeles forest to represent the Amazon, proposing a visual and atmospheric reading of the role he wished to play.
• In the case of The Batman, by Matt Reeves, Keoghan said he produced a video shot in his agent’s office, with a soundtrack chosen to set the tone of his proposal, aiming for the role of the Riddler. The Riddler ultimately went to Paul Dano in the final cut, while Keoghan received the opportunity to portray a facet of the Joker universe.
• Keoghan also stated he took a similar initiative for the project The Beatles — A Four-Film Cinematic Event, in which he pursued the role of Ringo. He described the process as part of a continuous practice of “creating his own opportunities” when he felt a connection to the work.

These accounts were reported by ANSA, which covered the masterclass and the actor’s statements at the Rome event. Keoghan’s emphasis was on creativity and the ability to use simple formats — cell phones, improvised locations, soundtrack — to build a presentation that communicated his reading of the character directly to the direction.

What this means for actors and creators — practical takeaway

Keoghan’s strategy illustrates a path increasingly common in actors’ careers: the appropriation of digital and home-made tools to present themselves to creative decision-makers. For Brazilian audiences and for descendants of Italians interested in culture and cinema, Roma Film Festival coverage is relevant because it connects European and international productions with global talent and contemporary methods of casting.

• The practice of self-tape reduces geographic barriers and allows actors outside major hubs to send material directly to directors and agents.
• Even when it does not land the initially desired role, the initiative can open doors to other opportunities within the same project — as illustrated by Keoghan’s path in The Batman.
• For creators and actors in Brazil, the experience reinforces the importance of investing in self-presentation (image, sound, idea) and proactivity in artistic promotion.

Readers following European cinema and festival news can find coverage of the Rome Film Festival with information on premieres, competitions, and market trends. Readers interested in broader aspects of life and work in Italy can also consult site sections on general topics about the country, such as Notícias da Itália and Vida na Itália. For readers connected to citizenship and migration matters, the portal offers dedicated coverage in Cidadania Italiana.

Context of the festival and the Butterfly Jam film

Butterfly Jam, Kantemir Balagov’s film in competition, has already gained recognition at Cannes (Un Certain Regard) and arrives in Italy’s program with distribution planned by Europictures on November 26. Keoghan’s presence in Rome for the masterclass adds to the film’s promotion and to discussions about creative processes shared at festivals, where actors and directors present to audiences both the works and behind-the-scenes details of their making.

Keoghan highlighted that today’s generation of artists has tools to expose themselves creatively and that, when used well, these tools can change career trajectories. The Alice nella città masterclass offered the audience a direct view of this strategy, anchored in concrete examples of high-visibility works.

Conclusion The participation of Barry Keoghan in the Rome Film Festival reinforces the idea that proactivity and creativity in home-made presentations can be decisive in a modern actor’s career. The experiences he shared — from improvised forests to videos filmed in the agent’s office — serve as practical examples for performers seeking to broaden possibilities in an increasingly globalized and digital market.

Source: ANSA