Barry Keoghan shared that he almost had his arm amputated due to contracting a flesh-eating disease.
Keoghan, who starred in The Banshees of Inisherin alongside Colin Farrell, told GQ that he suffered from a severe case of necrotizing fasciitis.
Speaking with GQ’s Alex Pappademas, the actor shared that he contracted the life-threatening virus before filming for The Banshees of Inisherin began a few years ago.
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The conversation was first broached when Pappademas noticed “gnarly scar tissue” that which winds up Keoghan’s arm “like a snake tattoo”.
The Saltburn star recalled asking doctors, “but I’m not gonna die, right?”. One in five cases of flesh-eating bacteria are fatal, and at the time the doctors were unsure what the outcome of Keoghan’s situation would be.
He also shared that “amputation was on the table”.
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It’s unclear exactly how Keoghan developed necrotizing fasciitis, but according to the CDC the condition is caused when bacteria enters the body through a break in the skin such as a cut, burn or insect bite.
The infection is said to spread very quickly with symptoms including red or swollen skin, fever, ulcers or blisters on the skin, and dizziness.
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The Banshees of Inisherin director, Martin McDonagh, recalled visiting Keoghan in the hospital days before filming was set to begin.
“I’m not sure if he was on a lot of meds, but he seemed to shrug it off,” he said. “We were only about four days out from shooting, and his arm was puffed up. But he was like, ‘Yeah, no, I’m going to be fine – I’ll see you on Tuesday.’
“I went to the hospital thinking, Shit – is he going to die? Let alone, is he going to make the movie.”
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Keoghan had his own memories from when McDonagh came to visit him, explaining that he remembered hearing the heart monitor in the background as his director prophetically told him, “just remember this when you’ve been nominated for an Oscar.”
And although Keoghan didn’t take out the top gong, he did score himself a nomination for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role.