Barry Keoghan Says He’s “Really Flirting” With “Close” Friend Jacob Elordi

Barry Keoghan spills the beans on the lively and cheeky connection he shares with Jacob Elordi.

“He’s like a brother to me, honestly,” revealed the Irish actor about his co-star from ‘Saltburn’ in a recent GQ cover story. Keoghan didn’t shy away from confirming the off-screen flirtation, stating, “I’m really flirtin’.”

Their closeness, he emphasized, wasn’t just for the cameras and premieres. “We were constantly close,” Keoghan explained, debunking any doubts. Onscreen, Keoghan takes on the role of Oxford student Oliver Quick in Emerald Fennell’s sultry thriller, with Elordi playing Felix Catton, a member of a posh British family.

Despite Oliver’s intense on-screen obsession with Felix, including the peculiar act of drinking his bathwater, Keoghan and Elordi’s real-life relationship is far less intense.

Also Read: Barry Keoghan Almost Lost an Arm Due to a Rare Bacteria

During a November interview with Extra, Keoghan playfully supported the idea of Elordi playing James Bond, saying, “Are you playing Bond? I’ll play your villain in Bond.” The camaraderie continued on red carpets where they jokingly acted out almost kissing each other while promoting ‘Saltburn.’

Reflecting on their rapport, Keoghan told GQ, “I think when you’re comfortable with someone, you can be as close as you want, you know what I mean? We’re bein’ lads. We’ve just done a movie where we had to kiss, man. Look at the scenes we’ve done. You have to be comfortable with yourself.”

In the GQ interview, the ‘Eternals’ star also opened up about the profound impact of losing his mother, Debbie, to an overdose when he was just 12 years old. Even years later, Keoghan often finds himself thinking about her, especially during significant achievements. “It’s always just in and around achievements that it’s really prominent—’cause you’d like to celebrate that with ‘er, know?”

Also Read: ‘Saltburn’ Review: A Puzzle Solved in The End

Beyond ‘Saltburn,’ Keoghan has made his mark in the 2023 Netflix series ‘Top Boy’ and is set to portray an American World War II pilot in the Apple TV+ miniseries ‘Masters of the Air,’ scheduled to premiere on 26th January.

As for Elordi, he recently portrayed Elvis Presley in last year’s ‘Priscilla’ and appeared in ‘He Went That Way.’ Upcoming projects include the Australian miniseries ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’ and reprising his role as Nate Jacobs in HBO’s ‘Euphoria.’