Saoirse Ronan Trivia: 24 facts you didn’t know about the actress!

Saoirse Ronan is an Irish and American actress. She is a two-time Academy Award nominee; receiving a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Atonement (2007), and a Best Actress nomination for Brooklyn (2015). She has also received three BAFTA Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, two Screen Actors Guild nominations and two Satellite Awards.

Let’s see some interesting facts about her!

1. Saoirse Una Ronan was born 12 April 1994 in The Bronx, in New York City.

2. Ronan is the only child of Irish parents Monica and Paul Ronan, who were living in New York City at the time of her birth.

3. Her father is also an actor, and her mother had acted as a child.

4. Ronan’s family moved to County Carlow, Ireland, when she was three years old, before moving to Howth, Dublin when she was a teen.

5. Ronan made her screen debut on Irish public service broadcaster RTÉ, in the 2003 prime time medical drama The Clinic and then appeared in the mini-serial Proof.

6. During the same time, Ronan auditioned to play Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, a role she eventually lost out to Evanna Lynch.

7. At the age of twelve, Ronan was asked to attend a casting call for Joe Wright’s 2007 film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s 2001 novel Atonement.

8. Ronan received rave reviews for her performance, with Ty Burr of The Boston Globe calling her “remarkable [and] eccentric”, and was subsequently nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, ranking her among the ten youngest to be nominated for the latter.

9. Ronan’s next film was Amy Heckerling’s often-delayed romantic comedy I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007).

10. In 2008, Ronan starred in both Death Defying Acts and the science-fiction fantasy film City of Ember.

11. In 2009, Ronan was cast in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood but dropped out to star alongside Rachel Weisz, Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci in Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones (2009), an adaptation of the book of the same name by Alice Sebold.

12. The film garnered various accolades, winning Ronan a Critics’ Choice Award and a Saturn Award as well as a second BAFTA Award nomination the following year.

13. Other notable films include the supernatural film Death Defying Acts, the science fiction-fantasy City of Ember, the epic true story The Way Back, the action thriller Hanna, the romantic-science fiction The Host, How I Live Now, Wes Anderson’s comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel and John Crowley’s romantic drama Brooklyn that earned her widespread critical acclaim.

14. In February 2016, Ronan is set to make her Broadway debut in a revival of The Crucible, playing the role of Abigail Williams.

15. In 2017, Ronan will star in the lead role as Florence Ponting in the film adaptation of On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan.

16. Ronan will also star in Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut comedy drama Lady Bird.

17. Ronan will star as Mary Stuart in the film adaptation of Mary Queen of Scots for Working Title and Focus Features. It will be directed by Josie Rourke in her film directorial debut.

18. Ronan holds dual U.S./Irish citizenship.

19. Since January 2016, Ronan resides in Manhattan, New York City.

20. On her name, she said, “‘Searsha’ is how Irish people pronounce it, but I would pronounce it ‘Sersha,’ like ‘inertia’ […] It’s Irish for ‘freedom.'”

21. In 2012, Ronan briefly dated actor George MacKay.

22. Ronan and MacKay met whilst filming their movie How I Live Now, according to its director.”

23. Her last name means “little seal”.

24. Has a border collie dog named Sassy.