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Ciaran Connolly
Ciaran Connolly
Saoirse Ronan is one of Ireland’s most famous actors. She made her name in the Hollywood movie scene at 12.
She appeared in the film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s book Atonement alongside Keira Knightly and James McAvoy. Saoirse’s captivating performance in the film earned her an incredible Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress, making her one of the youngest-ever nominees.
Since then, the Irish Actress has gone on to shine in her acting career, with over 30+ film credits to her name and two more Oscar nominations. Surprisingly, today, she’s still very young, at only 25 years old.
Ronan is one of Ireland’s and Hollywood’s most sought-after actors. She has seen her work with some of the world’s most brilliant directors, including Peter Jackson, Wes Anderson, and Michael Mayer, to name a few.
Every role she plays is different from the last, making her such a versatile actress that people just haven’t had enough of seeing. Some of her most iconic and renowned films include The Lovely Bones (2009), Hanna (2011), Brooklyn (2015), and Lady Bird (2017).
She is at the forefront of helping to create and change how young women are portrayed within the film and TV industry. She is forever bringing to life characters that don’t typically match the stereotypes of women, which is great to see on the big screen. Over the last 15 years, Ronan has racked up a magnificent resume that any actor would kill to have.
In this blog, ConnollyCove will cover Saoirse Ronan’s life story, including her upbringing, remarkable roles, and undeniable success as an Irish actress in Hollywood.
New York Roots and How Luck Pushed Saoirse Ronan’s Acting Career
After they hear Ronan’s soft Irish accent, people might be surprised to learn that she was born in the Bronx, New York, to Irish parents Monica and Paul Ronan. When she was just three years old, her family moved back home to Dublin, where she has lived ever since. However, during her younger years, she was brought up in County Carlow, her mother’s native home.
Ronan’s father was also involved in the film scene as an actor, which led him and his wife to emigrate to America in the 1980s, but ultimately chose to come back home to pursue regular acting work in Ireland. One of his prominent roles was working with Brad Pitt in the film ‘The Devil’s Own’. As a young child, Saoirse Ronan would accompany her father to movie sets, which, in some ways, inspired her to get into the film industry.
The Star of the Family
Saoirse became the family’s breakout star when she started getting high-profile projects. One of her first big auditions was to play Luna Lovegood in the renowned Harry Potter film series, but she lost the role to Evanna Lynch.
Although soon after, she booked her first significant role in 2007 at 12 years old in the romantic comedy ‘I Could Never Be Your Woman’, playing the daughter of Michelle Pfeiffer. However, the film never made it to Theatre release; instead, it went straight to video.
For the film, Ronan had to work closely with a dialect coach to perfect her accent. The same coach who helped Keira Knightly in Pride and Prejudice and was soon to work on the film Atonement put Saoirse’s name forward to play alongside Keira Knightly, and just like that, she got cast for the role.
That bit of luck, and course, her talent, helped Saoirse Ronan become a known name in the Hollywood film world, and the rest is history. Her career has gone from strength to strength ever since.
Early Screen Success
After her great success with Atonement, it wasn’t long before she was in a new film, this time playing alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones in the supernatural thriller Death Defying Acts (2007). However, the film was met with critical reviews, and some suggested that Saoirse’s talents were wasted on the movie.
But every step back leads to new opportunities, and in 2009, Ronan was cast in Peter Jackson’s movie The Lovely Bones. This is one of Ronan’s most famous roles; however, her family initially hesitated to cast her due to the subject matter of the film.
She did choose to proceed with the film, and Ronan was praised for the incredible emotion and acting ability she brought to the character. This film role helped Saoirse earn herself a BAFTA nomination for Best Actress at 14, another remarkable achievement for the Irish Actress.
Rising Irish Star
At such a young age, she had played various roles, but her success wasn’t about to stop. Ronan continued to break boundaries with her movie roles, significantly changing the portrayal of female roles on our movie screens. One iconic film was “Hanna” (2011), which saw Saoirse Ronan play a 15-year-old assassin alongside co-stars Eric Nana and Care Blanchett.
Hanna was a very physical and action-packed movie, with Ronan choosing to do all her stunts and spend months training in martial arts. The film and Ronan herself received positive praise for its incredible performance. In a review for Rolling Stones, Peter Travers called Saoirse an “acting sorceress” for her role in the film.
As she was growing up, Ronan started to look for more mature and complex movie roles, one being Neil Jordan’s Horror film ‘Byzantium’ (2012), which provided her with a dark and twisted role to help move away from the child roles she was apart of in the past and also to show her versatility in a variety of movie genres.
In 2014, Saoirse added two more big movies under her belt: one with renowned director Wes Anderson in the acclaimed comedy ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ and Ryan Gosling’s director debut in ‘Lost River’, whom she also played alongside in the film.
The Grand Budapest Hotel was Ronan’s first film she worked on without her parents. The film had great commercial success, and the BBC even suggested it was one of the ‘best films of the century.’
Big Irish Breakout Film
Saoirse Ronan said she had always wanted to work on a movie in Ireland or with Irish roots but never found the proper role she was looking for until the film Brooklyn came along and provided the perfect Irish film debut for the famous Irish Actress. The film, based on a young Irish woman emigrating to America, had similar parallels to Saoirse’s life that helped draw her to it.
Ronan said being part of the film helped cure her own homesickness, as at 19, she made the big step to move over to London and away from her parents when Brooklyn was being made. The film mirrored her life in some ways, allowing Ronan to bring undeniable realness and emotion to the lead character, Ellis Lacey. Her magnificent portrayal in the movie saw her nominated for both an Academy Award and The Golden Globes for Best Actress, adding to her list of outstanding achievements in her acting career.
Saoirse’s Big Broadway Move
With so much movie success under her belt, Saoirse moved to the theatre world in 2016 after moving to New York City. Her Debut Broadway performance was the remake of Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, one of America’s greatest plays. She played the role of Abigail Williams, a scheming maid responsible for the death of 150 people accused of witchcraft.
The Broadway show ran for an incredible 125 performances, directed by Ivo Van Hove. Saoirse Ronan was highly praised for her portrayal of her character and helped to lead the Broadway performance with her commanding display on stage, making a total 360-degree flip from her last role as a timid Irish girl in Brooklyn.
Her mother inspired and encouraged her to move to the theatre scene after she felt she didn’t have the maturity to do a play until she was in her early 20s. Broadway allowed Ronan to remake and experiment with her acting styles. She had long been famous for her silent gaze, which we see in many of her movies, but it was a different experience needed to connect with the audience on the stage. Of course, Ronan’s Broadway show was a total success, as expected.
More Movies and More Awards
After her big theatre debut, Saoirse went back to making movies. First up was the animated film Loving Vincent (2017), which is about the life of painter Vincent Van Goth. Ronan voiced the character of Marguerite Gachet in the film while also working on the film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s book On Chesil Beach, appearing alongside Billy Howle.
But her next film, ‘Lady Bird’ (2017), a coming-of-age movie by Greta Gerwig, gave her more award success for her portrayal of the spontaneous and unpredictable character of Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson.
The New York Times even labelled Saoirse’s performance as one of the best of the year and added her to their best actors list. She went on to win her first Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical whilst also receiving a BAFTA, Academy Award and SAG nominations for her role in the movie as Best Actress.
The same year, she hosted an episode of the famous and long-running show Saturday Night Live. However, the media criticised one of her sketches for stereotypically representing Irish people. Still, if anyone can make fun of the Irish, it’s the Irish themselves.
To finish up a successful 2017, Saoirse Ronan also appeared in a music video alongside English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran for his Song “Galway Girl.” The video was also filmed around Galway, Ireland, and was a quick success for the singer and Actress.
Queen of Scots
One of Ronan’s most prominent movie roles to date was in 2018, when she played the lead role of Mary Stuart in the film Mary Queen of Scots, co-starring Australian actress Margot Robbie, who played Elizabeth 1st of England.
One of the remarkable things about this movie is that neither Ronan nor Robbie interacted with each other until they both made their on-screen encounter, which helped make for a more dramatic performance in the film. Both ladies received critical acclaim for their roles as these two fierce women in history; another unforgettable performance by Saoirse Ronan, who also incredibly learnt to speak French for the role.
Future Projects for the Irish Actress
There is plenty more to see from Ronan; later this year, she will appear in the remake of Little Women, which also reunited her with director and writer Greta Gerwig. She will play the character of Jo March, appearing alongside a magnificent cast including Meryl Streep, Emma Watson and Timothee Chalamen, which is sure to be a hit. Ronan will again work with renowned director Wes Anderson in his new drama film ‘The French Dispatch’ appearing opposite Kate Winslet.
Saoirse Ronan’s Personal Life
When she’s not acting, Ronan is very focused on social and political issues in her home country of Ireland. She mainly supports same-sex marriages and abortion rights. She is also an ambassador for the Irish Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and has appeared in a few of their campaigns.
Ronan also appeared alongside Irish singer Hozier in his music video for ‘Cherry Wine’ to help bring attention to domestic violence in Ireland and worldwide. She has never been afraid to speak up and highlight vital issues, which has helped set an excellent example for people who look up to her.
Saoirse Ronan has often been recognised as one of the most talented young actors, featuring twice in Forbes’ 30 under 30 lists’, Times Next Generation Leaders List, and IndieWire’s list of the best American actors under 30. These are just a few of the many impressive recognitions she has received for her acting ability over the years.
Ireland’s Most Famous Actress
Ronan is undoubtedly one of Ireland’s greatest success stories and probably Ireland’s most talented Actress. She has achieved so much in her acting career, showing her brilliant versatility in various ways, whether through film, theatre, voice acting, or more. This helps to emphasise her remarkable ability to bring to life characters whatever the platform.
Starting in the film world as a child star, Saoirse has grown with the industry, never losing herself and always appearing down to earth with that famous charm the Irish are known for, which could be part of her tremendous success so far. She has mastered the art of moving from a child star to an impressive young actress everyone wants to work with while redefining female roles on and off-screen. At only 25 years old, you can expect more outstanding things from the Irish Actress.
If you enjoyed this blog, check some of our other blogs dedicated to famous Irish people: Roddy Doyle | Cecilia Ahern | Famous Irish Women | Famous Irish Authors who helped promote Irish Tourism | William Butler Yeats |
