Category: Press

Interview for the IFTN

The Irish Film and Television Network caught up with Saoirse at the Galway Film Fleadh on Saturday, accompanied by her father Paul, to talk about her recent roles, the state of the Irish film industry and her memories of ‘Sopranos’ star James Gandolfini. Read the interview below:

Saoirse, thanks very much for taking the time to talk to IFTN. How important do you think the Galway Film Fleadh is for the Irish film industry?
It’s my first time at the Galway Film Fleadh but my Dad comes every year and it seems like one of the most important ones because it’s retained a very traditional festival feel. It hasn’t gotten too glamorous or become so massive that it’s more about the red carpet than anything else. I think that some festivals get too carried away with the glamour of it all. But here everyone’s in jeans and very relaxed, going around catching a few films, which is how a festival should be! I’m looking forward to chatting to other filmmakers here like Marian Quinn and all those people I really admire and look up to.

Your performance as a vampire in ‘Byzantium’ was widely praised by critics as one of the strongest parts of the film. What was the experience like working with Neil Jordan?
I really enjoyed it! I was a bit nervous at first doing anything that involved vampires or that sort of genre, because it’s been done quite a bit recently. So I was a bit worried about that until I read the script and realised how original a story it was. And also the fact that Neil had taken on a script that he hadn’t written himself really said something about Moira’s work. It was a great experience. We shot it in Dublin. We had an Irish crew. We had a fantastic cast with the likes of Gemma and Sam and Tom Hollander. And it was very exciting as well that Neil was able to put his stamp on the genre again.

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Interviews Press

Published

by Jess

on Jul 16, 2013

Cleveland’s review of “Byzantium”

Due to the lack of promotion for “Byzantium” (I suppose all those videos of Saoirse talking about “The Host” set the bar a bit too high), we’ve been looking for anything new on the movie and its release around the world. With the exception of a few great reviews, nothing has come up. Cleveland‘s review is probably one of the most complete I’ve read so far, so I thought you guys might like it as well. There are no spoilers.

Clara is a feisty, flirtatious, alluring woman. Heavy on eye makeup, push-up bras and attitude, she knows how to manipulate men and make money with her looks. She is also a “soucriant,” a kind of vampire-hybrid. Daylight does not upset her and she has no noticeable fangs, though she feasts on human blood and has lived for centuries.

Clara, played by Gemma Arterton, is a real kick in the head. But despite her intensity and murderous streak, she is not even the most interesting character in Neil Jordan’s “Byzantium.” That would be Eleanor, Clara’s compatriot in blood. More thoughtful and reflective, Eleanor, played by Saoirse Ronan (“Atonement,” “The Lovely Bones”), writes down the history of her bizarre journey as the two women flutter from town to town.

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Published

by Jess

on Jul 11, 2013

Saoirse talks about “Byzantium”

In a recent interview with The Guardian, Saoirse has revealed some things about Eleanor, her character in the upcoming film “Byzantium”. Read the article below:

The big question concerning Saoirse Ronan – apart from how on earth one pronounces her first name (try rhyming it with “inertia”) – has been when exactly she might cross the threshold into adult roles, and how. The Irish actor has only just turned 19, so it’s hardly surprising she has spent her career playing children, though that rather under-represents the challenging nature of her parts to date.

Unusually for a young actor, she has achieved fame and acclaim without first passing through the brightly lit high-school corridors of the teen-movie genre. She was Oscar-nominated at the age of 13 for her otherworldly performance as Briony Tallis, the spiteful catalyst for catastrophe in Atonement; she was the murdered girl monitoring the hunt for her own killer in supernatural drama The Lovely Bones; she played a ruthless assassin in Hanna; and in The Host, a teenage science-fiction thriller from the pen of Twilight creator Stephenie Meyer, Ronan was called upon to give a double performance: as both a blank-faced victim of extra-terrestrial possession, and the indefatigable soul still trapped inside.

Given that she has technically never portrayed an adult on screen, Ronan is growing up in one colossal leap in her new film, Byzantium, an atmospheric chiller about a mother-daughter vampire team. Playing Eleanor the 200-year-old bloodsucker does dramatically raisethe average age of the roles on Ronan’s CV, although she insists the secret was to approach her as the 16-year-old she appears to be on the outside. “I didn’t really feel like I was playing an adult,” she says in her gentle Irish lilt when we meet in a London hotel. She’s wearing an emerald-green cardigan, and her fingernails are painted vivid electric-blue. Tissues and medication are spread out on the coffee table to help combat her cold. “Eleanor has been a teenager for 200 years,” she points out. “But that’s still what she is – a teenager. She’s a very old soul. “

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Articles Byzantium

Published

by Jess

on May 28, 2013

Saoirse talks about Ryan Gosling

Saoirsehas said that Ryan Gosling will be a “great” director because he is in tune with his work. The actress is set to play one of the leading roles in the upcoming film “How To Catch a Monster”, which Gosling will be directing.

The Irish actress stars in his directorial debut – the fantasy noir How To Catch A Monster – alongside Christina Hendricks, Eva Mendes and Matt Smith, which has started filming in Detroit, Michigan.

“I know he’s going to be a great director because I’ve talked to him and I know his ideas. He wrote the script, which is fantastic, and with each draft you can see it’s really come on and you can see where he wants the story to go.”

Saoirse, who is also continuing her successful streak with a leading role in Wes Anderson’s upcoming film The Grand Budapest Hotel, is already a big fan of Ryan’s work and the choices he has made in his career. “I think you can tell by the choices he makes as an actor that he very much respects the story in the film and strong characters. He could have easily picked a bunch of blockbusters films over Blue Valentine and Drive but he didn’t and because he’s so great and was working with great people he made really great films and I think that’s something that’s important to him.”

Source: Belfast Telegraph

Articles How to Catch a Monster

Published

by Jess

on May 27, 2013

Saoirse Addresses Scarlet Witch Rumours

Joss Whedon has recently been discussing the fact that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch will be appearing in The Avengers 2, with rumours circulating that Saoirse is the frontrunner to play the latter.

The Hanna star addressed those rumours this week, stating that she’d jump at the chance to play the comic book character.

“I have heard about it and yes, I would” she told The Mary Sue. “Of course I would. I love Joss and I love those films, and I love his handle on them and how he portrayed these kinds of superheroes.

“I think it’s very different from what anyone else has done. So yeah, I’d love to be in it.”

Source: IGN

Articles Various

Published

by Jess

on May 26, 2013