Being star-struck after meeting a certain celebrity is quite common among fans but the same is not expected to happen when one star meets another A-lister. Despite being uncommon, that is exactly what happened with Barry Keoghan when he met Dwayne Johnson for the first time.
Barry Keoghan opens up about his first meeting with Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson is one of the most established actors in the industry and also one of the kindest souls in Hollywood. Over the years, many A-listers have said a lot of nice things about the Jumanji actor including the Saltburn star, Barry Keoghan.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Barry Keoghan opened up about his first meeting with Dwayne Johnson and revealed that he was absolutely star-struck, and couldn’t even speak. He said,
“I just couldn’t speak, just kept looking up at him and I was like, oh shit. I was like, sorry about this. And he went, ‘come here to me’ and took me in and I hugged him, it was so nice.”
This wasn’t the first time that Keoghan has opened up and praised Dwayne Johnson for his ever-jolly and helpful nature. Once in an interview with The New York Times, Keoghan talked about how Johnson took an hour out of his time when Keoghan needed advice on a matter. He said,
“When I met the Rock, he took the time to have a good chat with me. He said if there’s anything he could ever do, to let him know, and he gave me his phone number. I reached out to him — I was stuck and needed advice — and he got back to me and gave me an hour of his time. Since then we’ve been close.
He sent me a baby hamper for my newborn. He’s a genuine inspiration. Someone of that stature giving you their time and engaging with you, I know it sounds easy, but not a lot of people do it.”
Dwayne Johnson also has a lot of love and respect for Barry Keoghan.
Dwayne Johnson reveals his top choice for the role of The Joker
A lot of notable actors have played the iconic role of The Joker in the past like Joaquin Phoenix, and Jared Leto who portrayed the role of Joker in DCEU’s Suicide Squad back in 2016. Barry Keoghan also had a cameo appearance as The Joker in Matt Reeves’ 2022 The Batman movie.
In an interview with Joe.ie a few years ago, Dwayne Johnson opened up about his favorite actor who he would like to portray the Clown Prince of Crime once again. The Rock voiced his support for Barry Keoghan and said,
“I would say Barry Keoghan. Look, all the work that they’ve all put in on that character is really impressive. But the work that Barry put in, because I know Barry, that’s my boy. I would say that I’ve always been a big advocate of Barry and his talent, and I love what he did with with Joker. I want to see him more.”
Barry Keoghan and Dwayne Johnson have not worked on a movie together as of yet. However, considering their friendship, it won’t come as a huge surprise if they decide to work together on a project soon.
