The Flesh-Eating Disease Nearly Took Off Barry Keoghan’s Arm

The actor is speaking out about overcoming a life-threatening illness while filming ‘The Banshees of Inisherin.’

Barry Keoghan is riding high on the critical accolades he’s received for his gripping primary performance in Emerald Fennell’s psychosexual thriller Saltburn, and he’ll soon soar to new heights in Masters of the Air—but for a brief moment, it appeared that life was about to change dramatically. In a new GQ feature, the Irish actor discusses his prior health concerns, revealing that he fell gravely ill just before filming The Banshees of Inisherin.

Barry Keoghan developed a severe case of necrotizing fasciitis in his left arm in 2021, a rare flesh-eating condition caused by bacteria entering the body through wounds, scrapes, and burns. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every five individuals with necrotizing fasciitis dies despite getting therapy.

In the feature, Keoghan remembers telling the physicians, “I’m not going to die, right?” The response was, “Well, we don’t know.” He ended up keeping his arm, however he still had scars from the surgery to remove the diseased tissue.

In the same essay, The Banshees of Inisherin writer-director Martin McDonagh muses on Keoghan’s reaction to the news after seeing him in the hospital.

“I’m not sure if he was on a lot of meds, but he seemed to shrug it off,” he said. “We were barely four days away from filming, and his arm was swelled up. But he said, ‘Yeah, no, I’ll be fine—I’ll see you on Tuesday.’ I went to the hospital wondering, “Shit, is he going to die?” Let alone if he is going to create the film. But I got out of there feeling motivated and looking forward to it.”

Another thing Keoghan recalls from his hospital stay: McDonagh urging him, “Just remember this when you’ve been nominated for an Oscar.” This is precisely what happened: Keoghan got an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. And the Oscars may come knocking again this year, courtesy to Oliver Quick’s performance in Saltburn.