Name to look out for: Saoirse Ronan

Saoirse Ronan- a hard name to pronounce (seer-sha) but a new face in Hollywood with an unforgettable resume. Ronan who has only just turned 14 this past spring, is the seventh youngest actress receive a Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her role as a Birony Tallis. A 13-year-old who changes the course of several lives after accursing her older sister's lover of a crime he did not committ in the 2007 film, Atonement. However, Ronan claimed to never even have read the classic book before performing her role. "I like books that are exciting and that make you think about things as well. I like things that have a twist - like Atonement, which I haven't read obviously, as I'm a bit young," she said.

Saoirse Ronan in a scene from Atonement (2007)

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Before being nominated, Peter Jackson (the famous director behind The Lord of the Rings films) chose the young performer to play the role of Susie Salmon in his film, The Lovely Bones. The story which is based on the best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, centers on a young girl who becomes the victim of a neighborhood serial killer and after her death watches over her family and her killer from heaven.


Jackson repotedly cast Ronan after she sent her audtion to him from Ireland, where her family resides. He was so impressed with her audtion that he gave her the role without even meeting her. Jackson was reportedly interested in attaching the young character of Susie to an unknown actor to star along big names such as Susan Sarandon, Mark Wahlburg and Stanley Tucci. Little did Jackson know that Ronan's name would soon be recognized by filmmakers everywhere after the academy noticed her acting chops.

Stanley Tucci and Saoirse Ronan in a promotional poster for The Lovely Bones (2009)

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The role as Susie garnered her the title of the third greatest female performance of 2009 from Time Magazine placing just behind Oscar winners Mo'Nique and Meryl Streep. Entertainment Weekly forsaw her talent and listed her as number 23 in the best '30 Under 30' actress list back in 2008.
　
Ronan's first jobs in show business were small roles in television series such as The Clinic and Proof. In 2007 she went on to play Michelle Pheiffer's pre-teen daughter in the film, I Could Never Be Your Woman alongside Paul Rudd. In City of Ember (a film based off a novel of the same name) she played a young heroine, Lina Mayfleet.


Ronan's next film to hit theaters is Hanna which will be released April of 2011. Ronan will play a teenager who discovers that her father is a killer and attempts to connect herself with another family to move into a more conventional lifestyle. Ronan is currently filming Violet & Daisy staring alongisde Alexis Bleidel (Gilmore Girls) as young assasins whos target throws them off their plan. The film is set to be released in late 2011.

Saoirse and Paul Ronan

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Although some may question Ronan's success being that her family tree consists of well-known and accomplished actor Paul Ronan (her father) who stared in the film The Devil's Own (1997) and is currently cast in the television series, Tudors, Ronan clearly has a love for acting. "It's not work, it is more of a passion," said Ronan. "It is so much fun and it is really makes you feel great at the end of the day. You feel like you are really after doing something good and you are after accomplishing something. Acting is one of these things that I can't really describe - it's just like, why do you love your mum and dad? You know, you just do."