Barry Keoghan has slammed claims from online trolls that he is a "deadbeat" father.
The Saltburn star, 32, has been thrust into controversy in recent months after he went public with his relationship with Espresso singer Sabrina Carpenter. However, he admitted that he was left fuming after people said that he was not willing to share photos of his son.
Speaking to BBC documentary maker Louis Theroux on his podcast, the Love/Hate actor opened up about life as a dad, and confessed he has been left "furious" by online trolls making comments on his life. He also addressed his previous relationship as he forges a new path together with his hitmaker girlfriend.
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Talking about the speculation about his private life, Barry admitted he wanted to keep himself to himself. "There's a lot online," he explained. "If I didn't have tough skin or the strength to have, I wouldn't be sitting here."
He added that due to his own lack of a father in his own life growing up, he wanted to set an example to his son by being there. Though he admitted that the process has been hard for him as he "had no blueprint" to go off of.
The Banshees of Inisherin icon then went on to address the haters directly, hitting back at claims that he is an "absent father" due to his fame. "People just read that [as] laziness and go, 'Oh, that's no excuse to be an absent father.' I'm not an absent father," he insisted.
Barry had a traumatic childhood growing up, often moving in and out of foster care. His father has never publicly been in the picture, and his mother, who had been addicted to heroin, tragically passed away when he was aged just 12.
When asked about why he opts to keep his child out of the limelight, Barry explained that he does not believe it is fair for him to grow up under public scrutiny. "People draw a narrative and go 'absent father, s***, deadbeat dad,' and more disgusting things I wouldn't even repeat," he reflected.
"Just the audacity of some people, man. It sickens me, makes me furious."
But despite trying to completely stay offline, Barry did admit he glances at what people say about him from time to time. Describing himself as a "curious being", he confessed he wanted to know about what criticism he was facing from people online.
It comes as his relationship with Sabrina Carpenter continues to blossom behind the scenes. Meanwhile, Barry's acting career is continuing to reach new heights ahead of his new film Bird being released on Friday (November 8).
As well as this, Barry is set to be starring in the Peaky Blinders movie alongside Cillian Murphy, which has been highly anticipated after the final series on the BBC. Filming is already underway in Manchester, though a release date is yet to be revealed.
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