Saoirse Ronan talks playing conflicting roles: ‘Such a cool contrast’

Saoirse Ronan got candid about how switching between two conflicting roles for two entirely different movies left a lasting impression on her.

The Irish actress, who filmed The Outrun and Blitz back to back, described the contrast to be quite cool as she went from playing “edgy” character in to being a “pillar of strength for a younger person”.

"To go from a performance that's kind of a bit of everything and quite messy and edgy and then really quiet and secure, to someone who needs to be this pillar of strength for a younger person, to be the shining light, to be his one beacon of hope, was such a cool contrast,” Ronan told Entertainment Weekly during The Awardist podcast.

Released on September 27th, The Outrun was the first movie Ronan had produced. The actress played Rona, who struggles to find happiness without the aid of substances.

“I don't think I've ever given a performance like the one that I give in The Outrun,” she said, adding that it turned out to be the most rewarding project on a personal level.

Ronan earned four Oscar nominations for her portrayal in The Outrun.

The 30-year-old regarded the character as, “ugly and nasty and mean.” But then also felt the need to “protect her more than anything else,” saying that, "she felt a huge responsibility in playing her because of how many people's stories and lives she represents."

After wrapping the movie, the Little Women star went on to film Steve McQueen’s World War II drama film Blitz, in which she played a strong-headed mother Rita, who sends her son away with other children to the countryside to protect them from the German blitzkrieg in 1940-41.

For Rita, Ronan described how she got to explore the “gorgeous glamour that existed during that time.”

Elaborating further on her experience to take on different roles for the job, Ronan shared her amazement at the sheer ability to embody so many characters.

She added, “That's what I love about my job, that one person can embody so many different spirits.”