The Irish actress talks about starring in the award-winning 'The Lovely Bones', out now on DVD.
What was it like to work with the director of 'The Lovely Bones', Peter Jackson?
Saoirse Ronan: He's so lovely and he's quiet when you meet him at first, and then, as you get to know him, he's just this great, funny, nice, crazy guy, who is a genius at what he does, and he's so hands on with not only the directing side of things but he's so involved with the actors, he's up with the actors all the time. He's very interested in cinematography and things like that as well - obviously you can see that from the incredible special effects he did in 'Lord of the Rings'. So he was a very different director for me to work with, compared to, say, Joe Wright ('Atonement'). And it was a really incredible experience.
Had you read Alice Sebold's book 'The Lovely Bones' before you started filming?
SR: I just felt that at the time I was too young to read it. And it was the same with 'Atonement'. In fact, I still haven't read that but I will. But I read 'The Lovely Bones' [afterwards] and I just loved it. I thought it was incredible and beautiful and to tell the story through this dead girl's eyes is so powerful. I think that Peter has stuck to the book in quite a lot of ways but obviously some things have changed because ultimately, it's Peter's movie. It's based on the book but it's his version of the story and I think he has the right to change some things.
He has to make a piece of cinema.
SR: Yeah, exactly, it's a different form of storytelling, so he has to do what he has to do as a director and a filmmaker.
Were you intimidated at the thought of playing a young girl who is murdered?
SR: I hadn't read the book at that point and when I heard what it was about I talked about it with my mum and dad and we questioned whether I should to it at all because it seemed so heavy.
Did you talk these things through with your mum and dad?
SR: Yeah, we're all very involved in the whole process of deciding what I'm going to do.
So what convinced you to take the part?
SR: Well, they sent over a few scenes for me to do and my dad put me on tape and sent it back and then I read the script and it was just incredible. It's awful what happens to Susie [her character] - absolutely terrible but the script, like the book, is beautiful and funny and actually it's full of hope, too. At the end you just can't help but feel like you've been changed in some way. I spoke to Peter and then I went over to meet him and he reassured me. He said 'Listen, we don't want this to be a gory movie, we don't want to shock people, we want to tell the story in the best possible way'. And that's what they did. And I'm so glad I did it. It was an amazing experience.
Can you walk away and leave all that stuff behind on the set?
SR: For the most part I can leave things behind at the end of the day. But because this was such a deep subject it was a little different. I think it's natural because sometimes you would come home and think about it because you are living it every day on set. I would think about all the young girls who this has happened to - those who have been murdered. There are these monsters out there and they are getting away with it and their families are put through misery. And sometimes I would get really upset because I was so close to Susie and I had connected with her, as you would with a character that you are playing.
How long did you spend in New Zealand filming 'The Lovely Bones'?
SR: About four months. It's the most beautiful country and the people are so laidback and so welcoming. And they're very proud to be New Zealanders, to be Kiwis, and they love where they live - and too right as well because it's gorgeous. It kind of reminds me of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, you know, but a little more tropical. But even though it's the other side of the world you really feel like you are at home. I loved it there and I felt right at home. We called it Wellywood (laughs).
When you're away, how do you keep in touch with your friends?
SR: Definitely Facebook. I've actually only recently signed to Facebook, and I really love it, I'm quite addicted to it actually. And I don't know whether you've heard of Farmville, it's just a farm, it's a ridiculous thing, but everyone who gets on it is addicted. You have a farm and you plant crops and you have trees and animals and things like that, and the more experience you get, you get experience for ploughing things and harvesting things, the more experience you get, the higher the level you get. I love playing that. And with my friends I do a bit of Facebook and emails and I text. It's a lot easier to stay in touch with your friends these days.
How do your friends and people in Ireland react to this incredible success that you have enjoyed?
SR: Most of them are pretty cool about it. I think my real friends are anyway. And they treat me in exactly the same way as they always have. If some people I've known from school or who live in my village treat me slightly differently or might be intimidated by me I would hate that. I would hate people to feel that way about me. But my real friends know me and know that I wouldn't want to be treated any differently than anyone else.
'The Lovely Bones' is out now on DVD.
