Posterized: Saoirse Ronan
Friday, March 18, 2016 at 11:00AM 
Since we forgot to celebrate Saint Patricks Day and since Brooklyn is fresh on DVD, let's talk everyone's favorite current Irish lass! Saoirse Ronan is only 21 years old (she turns 22 next month) but she's already logged over a decade of work having started as a child in a Irish television series called "The Clinic". Her first movie role was as Michelle Pfeiffer's daughter in the romantic comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman shot in 2005 though it took along time to emerge due to behind the scenes studio and distribution dramas. Her breakthrough Oscar-nominated performance in Atonement (2007) quickly followed. She's now ascended to a real movie star with her warm engaging film-carrying work in Brooklyn (2015).
Let's repeat a bit of Oscar trivia since it's quite impressive and important: Saoirse Ronan (nominated at 13 and 21) is only the 4th child star in history to received an Oscar nomination before and after turning 18. The very short list includes only the icons Jodie Foster (first nominated at 14), Natalie Wood (first nominated at 17) and Sal Mineo. (first nominated at 17) so that's astonishingly good company for Saoirse! (If you count "special" non competitive Oscars you can include Judy Garland, too, who received a "juvenile" statue for The Wizard of Oz when she was 17.) Most child stars peak when they're children, you see, but Saoirse is surely just getting started.
How many of her films have you seen? (all posters after the jump)
Update I forgot "The Host" oopsie. How many of her 15 films have you seen?
She's already finished her next two pictures Loving Vincent (2016) a painted/animated Van Gogh biopic (it looks like the actors acted the scenes and they're being painted over?) and the Chekov adaptation The Seagull (she plays "Nina") with an impossibly talented cast that includes The Bening, Elisabeth Moss, Corey Stoll, Brian Dennehy, and Mare Winningham.
Saoirse is currently on the Broadway stage in The Crucible after which she goes before cameras again for her second adaptation of an Ian McEwan novel (Atonement being the first) called On Chesil Beach (previously discussed).
Reader Comments (36)
I saw 10 also counting the host wich i didn't like, and i know i will always be a minority of liking the lovely bones and her performence in it. Of course my favorite being Atonement and Brooklyn.
5 seen.
The three big ones: Atonement, The Lovely Bones, and Brooklyn.
Is that Lost River a horror movie cousin to Anaconda?
Four: Atonement, Hanna, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Brooklyn.
I've always enjoyed her performances and thought she was very talented, but she captured my heart in Brooklyn. I will see more of her films going forward.
The big three (Atonement, Brookkyn, Budapest) plus Hanna and Bones. And I doubt I'll ever see any of the others. But I like her.
Am I the only one who liked The Way Back? I should have seen Byzantium. It's a Neil Jordan movie, after all.
I think that she said that Brooklyn was the first movie where she played a normal person, and looking at the posters, I might have to agree with her! I've seen Atonement, Hanna, GBH, and Brooklyn.
I am very excited about what she does next. She has a rare ability to capture the camera's gaze.
Technically Natalie Wood also qualifies and Ronan is the fourth to hit that mark. She was 17 when she was first nominated when she was 17 (three months shy of her 18th birthday) for Rebel Without a Cause, but would go on to be nominated for Splendor in the Grass and Love with a Proper Stranger as an adult.
No love for 'The Host'? Good. It's awful. I've seen 9 and been a fan of hers in all of them.
Brian -- oops. that was a visual error on my part.
John -- huh. i'll have to double check. argh. i thought i had everyone.
I've see four: her two films with Joe Wright, Grand Budapest, and Brooklyn.
I've seen four:
I could never be your Woman-not Oscar material, but quite nice role for Michelle Pfeiffer
Atonement-everything has been said and done. A great movie.
The lovely Bones-I liked the film overall than most and I've read the novel before (the only thing that still hurts is Stanley Tucci being nominated in Supporting for that instead of Julie&Julia)
The Grand Budapest Hotel-Wes Anderson is a genius.
So all in all very few (lead) work of Ronan, but she has very fascinating eyes. I can easily picture her with an Oscar in her hand one day.
"Saoirse Ronan (nominated at 13 and 21) is only the 3rd child star in history to received an Oscar nomination before and after turning 18. The very short list includes only the icons Jodie Foster (first nominated at 14) and Sal Mineo. (first nominated at 17)"
Natalie Wood was 17 years old when she was nominated for Rebel Without a Cause, she would be nominated twice after.
9. I loved her interview with Elvis Mitchell last month. Amazingly poised and well-spoken. She's going to be around a long while.
So far, I've seen I Could Never Be Your Woman, Atonement, Hanna, The Lovely Bones (ugh), The Grand Budapest Hotel,/i>, and The Way Back (underrated) as she's already making a name for herself. Maybe she'll be the anti-J-Law that we need.
I have seen 6 (Atonement, City of Ember, The Way Back, Hanna, Grand Budapest, Brooklyn).
She is always good.
I liked The Way Back but that type of epic seems to belong to another era.
I've only seen Atonement, The Host, Grand Budapest Hotel, and Brooklyn. Which seems crazy, I thought I had seen more of her films!
I've seen Atonement, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Brooklyn. She would have been my choice for the Oscar this year - I thought she was wonderful. Looking forward to seeing her career progress.
I'm seeing her on Broadway next month!
I've only seen Atonement. I need to atone for this.
Everyone needs to watch her in "How I Live Now." It's a really interesting film, and she is GREAT in it. Was extremely underrated, and I think it's watch instant on Netflix.
It wasn't theatrically released, but "Stockholm, Pennsylvania" is worth a look. Ronan is great in it, adding sharp angles and ambiguity to a role that could probably rest on sympathy in lesser hands. Jason Isaacs is fine, too, as an amiable, outwardly clean-cut monster, and Cynthia does her usual next-level work as a mother whose love and dedication curdle into something darker. More complex than I thought it would be, and lingers with you. No Emmy recognition. Check it out.
I've seen Atonement, Hanna, The Lovely Bones, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Lost River and Brooklyn. Really enjoyed Atonement and Hanna (own both on Blu-Ray); liked Brooklyn; largely disliked The Lovely Bones and The Grand Budapest Hotel; and I thought Lost River was total crap. Funny enough, I like Ronan as an actress but she's never been my favorite part of the movies I've seen her in.
I forgot about Byzantium - that was a great little movie. That, Grand Budapest and Hanna are her best films (with runner ups going to the more oscar loved Brooklyn and Atonement).
I've seen 6. Brooklyn, Atonement, GBH, Hanna, I Could Never Be Your Woman, and Byzantium. Brooklyn, Byzantium, and Hanna are my favourites as showcases for her character and good stories.
And thanks for reminding me that I still want to see The Way Back (love Peter Weir).
I have seen nine, her best performances being BROOKLYN, ATONEMENT, HOW I LIVE NOW and HANNA. I like GRAND BUDAPEST, but it wastes her. I didn't care for LOST RIVER, BYZANTIUM (Gemma Alterton is the surprising best in show there) and DEATH DEFYING ACTS, but I don't remember much of anything about CITY OF EMBER apart from its impressive production design.
Atonement, Hannah, The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Lovely Bones
My favorite is Hannah
She is incredibly talented! Ronan is a combo of Swinton and Blanchett
I have seen 7.
I consciously skipped Violet & Daisy, Bizantium and How I Live Now, but after Broolklyn I'm a fan again so I will probably check them out. I love her in Brooklyn. I feel I haven't said it enough.
4: Atonement, Hanna, Grand Budapest Hotel, and Brooklyn. Actually thought she was best in Hanna (a very underrated film generally).
I've seen only Grand Budapest and Brooklyn--certainly an enticement to see more!
i've seen seven with my favorites are "Atonement", "Brooklyn" and "Hanna". The less said about the shockingly bad "Lost River", the better.
I live for her silver eyebrows in Hanna (not many people do this).
I've seen eight. Weird, I remember the trailer for Byzantium showing up in previews at the cinema but the movie itself never came out here. Some interesting titles to check out now.
I'll repeat myself. If you are a fan, you owe it to yourself to check out Byzantium. The direction, visuals and performances are all top notch in that one
I watched I Could Never Be Your Woman, and it's quite an average movie but you can Ronan was something special. She also does a perfect American accent in it even though she's like 10....
I've seen a few of her movies, that one, Brooklyn, Atonement, Hanna, LOvely BOnes, that weird assassin one with Alexis Bledel, and the way back.
Loved her in all of the,, even if I didn't like the movie.
Ten.
I Could Never Be Your Woman
Atonement
Death Defying Acts
City of Ember
The Lovely Bones
The Way Back
Hanna
The Host
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Brooklyn
Need to catch up on her other films!