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Saoirse Ronan Had 2 Oscar Nominations by the Time She Was 20, and That's Just the Beginning

03/03/2018 - 12:30 PM

With Lady Bird in the running for a whole host of accolades this award season, Saoirse Ronan is once again in the spotlight [1]. It was only two years ago that her turn in Brooklyn saw her on every red carpet from here to Hollywood, but this year she'll be back to take another stab at snagging a coveted trophy. The Irish-American actress has wowed us all in everything from teen sci-fi to poignant drama, and at only 23, it's safe to say there's plenty more where that came from. As we wait to see if it'll be third time lucky for this young star, get to know the girl with the famously unpronounceable name [2] a little bit better.

Her Big Break Was in Atonement

Saoirse already had a host of credits to her name by the time she was cast in Joe Wright's 2007 film adaptation of Ian McEwan's novel Atonement, but it was this film that really launched her incredible career. She played 13-year-old Briony Tallis, who misunderstands what she sees on a Summer night in 1935, setting off a dramatic chain of events. The older versions of the character were played by Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave.

She's One of the Youngest Oscar Nominees Ever

Saoirse's work in Atonement won her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress, making her one of the youngest Oscar nominees in history. She was nominated again in 2016 for her work in Brooklyn, and she got another nod this year for Lady Bird.

She's Just Saoirse From the Block

Though you'd never know it from her accent, Saoirse was actually born in The Bronx, NY. In a story that echoes that of her character in Brooklyn, her Dublin-born parents emigrated to the US in search of opportunity. The family returned to Ireland when Saoirse was 3. She has dual Irish and American citizenship.

Everyone Struggles to Pronounce Her Name

Saoirse's name has caused problems for many people. She describes it as "Ser-shuh, like inertia". Hear the lady herself say it perfectly here, before she tackles some other tricky names!

She Autitioned For Harry Potter

Saoirse was in the running to play Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter [3] films, eventually losing out to Evanna Lynch. She told The Independent [4], I was too young — but at the time I thought, 'I'd love to be in Harry Potter.' When I was younger, I used to think they had the best job in the world."

She's Gifted at Accents

Few 11-year-old Irish kids could pull of an American accent the way Saoirse did in I Could Never Be Your Woman (her very first film, with Michelle Pfeiffer [5] and Paul Rudd [6]). Since then, she's tackled a number of different accents and dialects. In fact, she told Variety in an interview that she's never used her own accent on film [7], even when playing and Irish woman Brooklyn.

She Had Her First Kiss on Set

Saoirse's first kiss is formerly immortalised in the film I Could Never Be Your Woman. She told W magazine [8], "I asked [director Amy Heckerling] how many seconds I had to kiss this poor boy for. It was three seconds, and everyone of those takes consisted of a three-second kiss—no more, no less. I suffered for the art. We did about eight takes. I was a phenomenal kisser by the end."

She Loves Films From Books

Saoirse seems to have a predilection for scripts adapted from novels, no doubt due to her early success in Atonement. Along with that there's Brooklyn, The Host, How I Live Now, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, and perhaps most famously, The Lovely Bones. Allegedly, Peter Jackson cast her in the adaptation of the Alice Sebold novel as he was looking for an "unknown" to play Susie Salmon. But then Atonement came out, and the rest is history!

Saoirse's also completed work on On Chesil Beach, adapted from another novel by Atonement writer Ian McEwan.

She Has a Bit of a Sideline in Music Video Cameos

In the video for Ed Sheeran's "Galway Girl", Saoirse's the reason Ed ends up with a tattoo that says "Galway Grill" on his arm. But that wasn't her first music video appearance. She also appears in the video for Hosier's "Cherry Wine" and Natasha Khan and Jon Hopkins's "Garden's Heart", from the film How I Live Now.

The Fashion Pack Love Her

Saoirse credits stylist Elizabeth Saltzman [9] for her red carpet style. The stylist encouraged her to try colours and textures she'd previously avoided, and now Saoirse is now well known for her experimental, feminine style. She's turned heads on the red carpet in memorable looks from the likes of Valentino, Christopher Kane, and Calvin Klein.

She'll Soon Tackle One of British History's Most Controversial Royals

Move over, Adelaide Kane [10]. Saoirse's next big role is playing the titular character in the historical drama Mary Queen of Scots, alongside her fellow Oscar nominee [11] Margot Robbie, who'll be barely recognisable as Queen Elizabeth I [12].


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