This is how to pronounce Barry Keoghan's surname, according to him

Barry Keoghan has been the actor to watch with his widely praised performances in the critically acclaimed films he's starred in.

The 31-year-old Irishman was nominated for an Oscar and won a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor last year for his role in the Irish black tragicomedy The Banshees of Inisherin(2022) directed by Martin McDonagh.

His most recent performance in Saltburn (2023) has also been widely discussed due to some of the graphic scenes in the black comedy psychological thriller by director Emerald Fennell.

Keoghan's rise to fame has consequently prompted discussions about how to pronounce his surname as people in the 'Ireland' Reddit forum debated this subject and gave different suggestions on how to say it such as “Kyown”, ‘Kyo-hin” and “Kyo-han."

Irish actor Barry Keoghan arrives for the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 7, 2024. Photo by Michael TRAN / AFP) (Photo by MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images

The actor himself addressed this during an appearance at Dublin Comic Con in 2022 when asked how to say 'Keoghan.'

"Keo-Gan. You pronounce the G. Or at least I do,” Keoghan explained.

"Maybe I’ve just been pronouncing it wrong all these years but yeah, the ‘g’ sound is in there," he added jokingly.

Although Keoghan may have to correct people on how to pronounce his surname, he sees it as a good thing as far as his career is concerned.

"But I find that if you have a difficult-to-pronounce name, you’re more likely to go far, especially in the US," he noted as he gave another example of an Irish actor whose name is difficult to pronounce for some.

"Like Saoirse Ronan and all the talk of how to pronounce her name; so maybe it’s a benefit having a peculiar name."

Elsewhere, Keoghan revealed in a recent interview with GQ how he almost died from a rare flesh-eating disease.

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