Barry Keoghan enjoyed teasing everyone about the whole Dune thing

Oh, that crafty Barry Keoghan. Lately he’s been working with all your favorite directors (most recently: The Banshees Of Inisherin with Martin McDonagh) and racking up credits in all your favorite franchises (like a buzzy teaser role in The Batman). So it’s no wonder that fans thought he was a likely candidate to join the star-studded cast of Dune. And of course, Keoghan himself fueled the fire with some vague but telling public statements.

In a new New York Times interview, Keoghan says he likes to be in communication with his audience via Twitter, because “sometimes it’s nice to put out the positive tweets and positive comments.” He also clearly likes to be a little sneaky with it, dropping a few eyebrow-raising emojis when around the announcement of Dune: Part Two. “Ah, yeah, I really enjoyed that process,” he admits of riling up the fanbase with that tweet. “Look, I’m a big fan of Dune, and it would have been nice to be part of it. I’m a big fan of Timothée [Chalamet, the star of the franchise] as well. But it wasn’t for me. You have to accept that sometimes. Sometimes it’s not for you.”

It’s unclear if Keoghan was in talks for the film, or if that tweet was just a form of manifestation. In any case, the actor is looking towards the future and hoping to transition into being a leading man, anyway. “Well, the aim is to go from being a scene-stealer to being the star of a movie. Am I able to do that? We’re going to see that with Saltburn,” he explains. “It’s my first lead role, and the first time I had to really step up in terms of stamina and just being fully committed. I always want to test myself. I don’t ever want to get to a stage where I think I have it figured out.”

“So the scene-stealing thing—it’s nice, but I don’t want to be known as that,” says Keoghan, who has received acclaim for his supporting roles. “I want people to see me and think, ‘That boy can hold a movie.’” (Just not Dune.)