How Saoirse Ronan’s career nearly ended with its first scene: “I was almost run over”
As if growing up isn’t hard enough, growing up in the limelight is another beast entirely, with the madness of the entertainment business becoming something you have to navigate without the wisdom or thick skin of an adult. Even for grown-ups, the experience of being examined and prodded at in casting rooms and dressing rooms is a rather fracturing experience, with your life being harshly split between the persona you have in the public eye and the one you have in your personal life, a divide that many actors struggle to navigate.
But for child actors, early experiences with fame can sometimes be even more damaging, with some people who will exploit the talents of those who are more vulnerable and try to make as much profit as possible.
While many child stars suffered during their time in Hollywood, Saoirse Ronan miraculously seems to be one of the few who managed to make it to the other side, racking up countless Oscar nominations and being described as the Meryl Streep of her generation. Despite having been in the business for nearly her entire life, Ronan is still going strong, reflecting on her early acting experiences and the first traces of success.
Some might first have seen Ronan in films like Atonement and The Lovely Bones, with the actor giving a genuinely harrowing performance alongside Stanley Tucci in the latter as a child who is murdered by her next-door neighbour. Tucci has continually praised Ronan for her performance in the film, describing her as one of the most mature young people he has ever worked with and her concern for him while shooting some of the more emotionally challenging scenes.
She first rose to international prominence through her work with Joe Wright, with the devastating scene as she catches her sister in the library becoming one of the most shocking moments from the film, and something that is even more impressive given the fact she was just twelve years-old at the time of filming.
However, before the buzz that came with both projects, Ronan had her first on-screen role at the age of eight, starring in a Dublin-based television show called The Clinic. While it was a foot in the door for Ronan, she doesn’t have the fondest memories of the experience, saying, “I was almost run over by my Dad. I had to run, upset, out of a funeral and into the road. The car stops but then I fall over anyway … It was my actual Dad driving the car – for some reason they thought I’d be more comfortable doing the scene if he was driving!”
Perhaps some might take this as a less-than-promising sign if your first role was thwarted by none other than your own father, but for Ronan, she took the experience and ran with it, with the first credit to her name laying the first step on the long path to the top. Ronan is now one of the most prolific actors of her generation, with her roles in Lady Bird and Little Women defining her as a cinematic legend.
