With the end of the Spring Festival holiday, countless "hit workers" have to return to their jobs again, leave their hometowns, and continue to chase their careers and dreams. And the moment we step on the train to a foreign land, our hearts are more or less entangled in the choice of "hometown" and "far away".
The same entanglement happened to Silsa Ronan. The Irish actor who debuted as a child star is also facing the choice of the direction of his life journey.
Like the heroine of the novel Brooklyn by Irish writer Colm Binto, Ronan chose between "home" and "far away", leaving home at the age of 19 to go to London to continue her acting career.
As a result, we can continue to see the excellent works brought by this talented post-90s actor on the big screen.
01 Genius Girl: Four-time Oscar-nominated post-90s
Mention Silsa Ronan's name may feel strange, but if you talk about the movies she has acted in, you may suddenly realize that "so many roles have been played by her!" ”
She is the sensitive and slightly neurotic sister Brioni in Atonement;
She is the innocent and cute little girl Susie in "Lovely Bones";
She is Agatha, the witty and brave cake shop cook in "The Grand Budapest Hotel";
She is the rebellious and maverick Christine in Miss Bird;
She is also the Joe who dares to love and hate in "Little Women" and makes "Sweet Tea" haunt her dreams.
In addition to the movie, she is also the MV heroine of Ed Sheeran's "Galway Girl", the eccentric Govel girl, holding the male protagonist's hand and running and jumping through the streets of Ireland, laughing as if glowing.
Unlike Hollywood's cookie-cutter sexy girls, Ronan is more like a teenage girl who came out of classical oil painting. A pair of blue eyes full of aura, it seems that you can see the sea of stars, and you can always reveal the emotions of the character just right. Whenever the camera gives her a close-up, it's hard not to forget to breathe.
However, in addition to his charming appearance, Ronan is an actor who speaks by strength. She also said in the interview that personality and hard work are the most important things than appearance.
There are many actors who debut as child stars, but most of them are short-lived, and few can continue to shine on the big screen. Ronan is one of these minorities, and her efforts and strength have also been recognized by the Oscars.
In 2008, at the age of 13, Ronan won his first Oscar nomination for "Atonement", becoming the youngest nominee at the time;
In 2016, with the role of Alice in "Brooklyn", Ronan was nominated for an Oscar again, and was promoted from Best Supporting Actress to Best Actress;
In 2018, "Miss Bird" made Ronan nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress again;
In 2020, "Little Women" put it on the oscar shortlist for best actress.
In the 17 years since her debut, the post-90s actress has been favored by Oscar nominations for 4 times, although it is only a run, but it is enough to show that her strength should not be underestimated, and Time magazine calls her "the leader of the next generation".
02 Free Genie: An actress who is "out of place" with the mainstream
Ronan's name "Saoirse" means "freedom" in Irish, and it is not an exaggeration to describe Ronan as his name.
On the screen, she is hidden in various roles, creating countless classic images; behind the screen, she has always been a free elf who is outside the mainstream.
She has a frank personality, no baggage, no social media, no lace scandals, and in this impetuous world, it is almost difficult to find an actor with a similar temperament to Ronan.
At the same time, unlike many female stars who have stunned four in commercial blockbusters, Ronan has always been active in the world of literary films. She never deliberately pursues exposure, but only chooses her favorite script.
《Grand Budapest Hotel》
She said that the historical figure she most wanted to play was Queen Mary of Scotland, so in 2018, she and Margot Robbie performed the legendary historical story of Elizabeth I and Mary Stewart.
Queen Mary
Asked "which literary adaptation would he most like to appear in?" said Ronan to keep it a secret for the time being, and a year later, her role in "Little Women" starring Timothy Chalame moved countless audiences.
Little Women
As for the roles he plays, Ronan also has his own selection criteria.
She's reluctant to play the thoughtless vase roles because she can't get anything out of it, and it's a boring thing to do.
Ronan was interviewed on The Jimmy Tonight Show
"It's very important for me to play a woman with intelligence. Because I feel that you have a responsibility to act out real life in movies and TV series. This is necessary for women, especially in this day and age. We can see many thoughtful female characters on screen, and this can affect people's habitual thinking patterns and the way we see each other. ”
Ronan was interviewed on Seth's Evening Talk Show
03 Brooklyn: Alice's Story, Ronan's Story
If you want to say which character means the most to Ronan, you can't fail to mention Alice in the movie Brooklyn.
Not only did this give Ronan her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress, but it was also the one that resembled herself in all the roles she's played.
The film Brooklyn takes place in the 1950s.
As their homeland gradually lost its future, 12 million Irishmen, inspired by The Statue of Liberty and the "American Dream," chose to leave their homeland and cross the ocean to New York in search of a better life.
Alice, played by Ronan, is also a member of the immigration tide.
This bright and idealistic Irish girl is not willing to work as a grocery store clerk in the small town of Enniscorthy, but chooses to start a new life in Brooklyn on the other side of the ocean after a long and arduous sea journey.
But at the same time, everything in her hometown still affects Alice's heart, and home can never be replaced, which also makes Alice fall into a strong homesickness, and even begins to question her original decision...
And from a more macroscopic perspective, this is not only Alice's story, nor is it the story of the Irish people in the 50s. "Brooklyn" is very universal, it delicately captures a life experience that people of any age and any nationality will face, and it is also a choice that anyone has to make.
Like Alice, Ronan is one of many Irish people who have left their homeland to pursue their dreams in a foreign country. Her personal experience, which closely coincides with the role, also makes her the perfect choice for this role.
Ronan said in an interview: "I can empathize with this story because it is the story of my people. I've been through everything Alice has been through, so I have a strong resonance with her, and I still have the same emotions to this day. ”
Although there is no absolute right or wrong between "hometown" and "far away", for Ronan, leaving home is undoubtedly very correct.
Her native Ireland gave her a poetic and romantic temperament, while the wider world beyond her hometown gave her the space to fully display her talents.
As the line goes in Brooklyn, Ronan is an "Irish girl from Ireland," but at the same time, she's by no means just an "Irish girl from Ireland."
At 22:15 on February 19, the movie channel "Good Movies Have a Date" will broadcast "Brooklyn" starring Silsa Ronan, let's get closer to the free Irish elf.