Selina Wilken from Hypable had the chance to talk to Saoirse during the BFI London Film Festival, and the interview is already online. They talked about Brooklyn, female directors, stories from the Atonement set and more!
Why ‘Brooklyn’ is Saoirse Ronan’s most personal project yet
Saoirse Ronan describes Brooklyn as, “Very challenging, but the most rewarding film I’ve ever done.”“Just the effect it has on me… I don’t know what it is, I’m still very much awash with emotion,” she admits. “Eilis, and Eilis’ story, is just a huge part of who I am.”
In the past, Ronan has always looked for roles that allowed her to step away from herself and play varied, interesting characters. But in Brooklyn, she really found herself empathizing with Eilis on a personal level. “And I think because it was so close to me, to not have any separation at all was actually a lot scarier, and it was a lot more vulnerable,” she reflects.
“Someone said to me that it’s a very delicate film and it’s such a great way to describe it, cause simple was never the right word,” says Ronan. “It’s an incredibly emotional film. We all know what that feeling [of leaving home] is like, what that heaviness is like.”
“The realization sets in that you can’t go back, that once you’ve made that step, you can never go back to how it was, before you left, and you can’t prepare yourself for that, you know? That’s not something that anyone tells you about really, when you leave home.”
