Lewis Brophy, once compared to Barry Keoghan, now co‑stars with him in Lemonade
Rising Irish actor Lewis Brophy told TheWrap he used comparisons to Barry Keoghan as motivation — and now the two Dublin actors co‑star in Kim Bartley’s drama Lemonade, due in the UK and Ireland next year.
Lewis Brophy — who often found himself compared to fellow Dubliner Barry Keoghan while building his theatre career — says those comparisons inspired him, and a few years later the pair star together in Kim Bartley’s film Lemonade. Brophy told TheWrap at TIFF 2026 that seeing Keoghan’s trajectory reassured him: “If he could do it, I could do it.” In Lemonade, Brophy plays Danny, an 18‑year‑old struggling after leaving the foster care system, while Keoghan plays Josh, a social worker who unexpectedly reconnects with him. Director Kim Bartley told TheWrap she originally approached Keoghan to produce but learned he wanted to act in the film. TheWrap reports Lemonade has been acquired for release in the UK and Ireland early next year and is seeking international distribution.
From local comparisons to shared screen time
Lemonade centres on a fractured transition out of foster care
Lemonade follows Danny, played by Brophy, an 18‑year‑old struggling to integrate into society after leaving the foster care system and facing a mistake that could derail his future. Barry Keoghan plays Josh, a social worker who once tried to help Danny but fell by the wayside because of his own mistakes, then reconnects with him. Those character dynamics form the emotional core of the drama, as TheWrap’s TIFF coverage notes, with the story exploring the fragile ties between young people leaving care and the adults meant to support them.
Keoghan moved from proposed producer to cast member
Bartley told TheWrap she initially approached Keoghan to serve as an executive producer on Lemonade, but learned he was also interested in a front-of-camera role. She said the material resonated with him — “There are a lot of parallels in the story with his own life,” she told TheWrap — and that Josh’s part marked a departure for Keoghan: a quieter, more mature, and gentler role than many of his previous parts. Bartley described the role as emotional and personal.