Barry Keoghan recalls battle with flesh-eating bacteria

CNN — Barry Keoghan has a story to tell about a scary flesh-eating bacteria that nearly cost the “Saltburn” actor his arm. Falling ill right before the 2022 Oscar-nominated film “The Banshees of Inisherin” began shooting, Keoghan said that amputation of the infected area “was on the table.” He recalled asking the doctors if he was going to die, to which they replied, “Well, we don’t know.” The actor did not specify how or where he became infected. Martin McDonagh, director of “Banshees,” went to visit Keoghan in the hospital before they began shooting the movie and said in Tuesday’s interview that, all things considered, the actor seemed to “shrug it off.” “We were only about four days out from shooting, and his arm was puffed up. Keoghan also remembered the director offering a pep talk during his hospital visit, wherein McDonagh told his star, “Just remember this when you’ve been nominated for an Oscar.” His words rang true when Keoghan earned a supporting actor Oscar nod in 2023 for his performance in “Banshees,” in which he starred alongside Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Kerry Condon.