Barry Keoghan reveals unconventional relationship with two-year-old son Brando

Barry Keoghan is a proud father to his two-year-old son Brando – but he admits the pair don't have a "normal" relationship.

The Saltburn star – who shares his only child with his ex-girlfriend Alyson Sandro – admitted that his lack of a "father figure" growing up has impacted how he acts with his own son.

"I didn't have a father figure growing up, so even my relationship with my son isn't quite of the normal father-son relationship," the 31-year-old told Entertainment Weekly .

"Because I don't have that figure to draw experience from and to base it on. Love, you don't need anything to draw from, love is pure, and so I'm not on about that, but I'm on about little stuff like teaching your son this or teaching your daughter that," he added.

Barry revealed in 2018 that he had a difficult childhood and lived in 13 different foster homes with his brother, Eric, due to their mom's drug addiction.

"Every family was good to us," he shared on Ireland's The Late Late Show. "As a kid, you don't know what's happening. You get attached and then, boom, let's move over here… I don't have a hometown, that's what I'm saying."

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While Barry may see his relationship with his son as unconventional, he has been a constant in his life since the day he was born, which he looks back on fondly.

In an interview with GQ earlier this year, Barry recounted the magical yet chaotic day of Brando's birth, which happened when Barry was in the midst of filming Saltburn.

"They gave me a day off," Barry recalled with gratitude. "Good on them! Day off, and straight on to night shoots and night feedings – boom!"

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Reflecting on that period, Barry described it as an incredible time. "It was probably the best time of my life, to be fair. Havin' a baby boy and leadin' a movie. It was the best time of my life, I must say."

The name Brando holds special significance for Barry, as he revealed in the same interview that his son is named after Marlon Brando.

"Brando Keoghan. Imagine that, for a name!" Barry mused. "I set him up. Brando Keoghan, piano player. I obviously love Marlon Brando, but I just, yeah – for a first name I thought it was quite cool. To have Brando in your name."

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Barry is aware of the weight that such a name might carry, but he's confident that his son is more than up to the challenge.

"He's got a lot to live up to, that kid. But he'll live up to it. He has to have that leather jacket and rock-star attitude, you know what I mean? He'll have a motorbike when he's 12, I think," Barry joked.

Fatherhood has undeniably had a profound impact on Barry. It's not just about the joy that Brando brings him, but also the sense of responsibility and motivation that comes with having someone so important relying on him.

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"I feel a responsibility, I feel an enormous amount of pressure, which is good. And I can't get the little boy off my mind," he explained.

"Y'know, it's crazy, but when he looks at you, you feel like the most important person in the world. That's the effect he has on me," Barry added.

"He smiles at you and you're like, 'Wow. You're smiling at me like that? I don't deserve that, but anyways, thanks.'"