Saoirse Ronan, best known for her dramatic roles, is ready to switch things up and star in a comedy.
Since the film genre is also her favorite to watch, the four-time Oscar-nominated actress recently told Harper’s Bazaar UK that she wants to partake in a project that sees her in a more comedic role for once.
“I would love to do something modern and funny,” she said. “But to be able to do comedy well requires so much skill and musicality. I don’t necessarily think I have that yet – although as I’ve got older, I am more comfortable and confident to try.”
Ronan specifically cited films and TV shows like Bridesmaids, Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm as her all-time favorites to watch – which could hint at the type of comedy audiences may see her in at some point in the future.
As for her more serious roles, such as in Little Women, Lady Bird and Brooklyn, those don’t come without challenges either. Especially for her role as Lady Macbeth in the West End production of The Tragedy of Macbeth in 2021, which she called “the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, professionally.”
“Because of the discipline that it required – getting on my bike at 5 o’clock night after night, in the dead of winter, to do a play that dark and at a time when the country was still in the throes of COVID, meaning we were all carrying a heaviness already,” the Foe actress explained.
But her years of experience in the industry have helped her take on the demanding roles. “When you’re working with weighty material, you find levity somehow,” she said. “With Macbeth, it did feel hard to find the light.”
Ronan said she typically decides what projects she wants to sign on to “based on emotion, how I respond to the character, how delicious I find the dialogue,” but recently she has changed the way she goes about it. She now looks at it through the whole lens, taking the creative team and environment into consideration.
“It’s become so important that we have a nice time, that it’s fun, and people work hard,” she added. “But not to the extent it becomes toxic and overbearing.”
