Saoirse Ronan Describes Filming Wartime Drama During Global Conflict as ‘Hauntingly Relevant’

Saoirse Ronan, an Irish actress, said shooting her new Second World War picture provided her a “new perspective on everything that’s going on around us right now” against the backdrop of global conflict.

Blitz, directed by Sir Steve McQueen, kicked off the BFI London Film Festival on Wednesday, and Ronan stood on the red carpet with co-stars Stephen Graham, singer Paul Weller, and Benjamin Clementine at the Royal Festival Hall.

Ronan plays East End mother Rita, who decides to send her nine-year-old son George (Elliott Heffernan) to the countryside from war-torn London, but becomes angry when she learns her kid has not arrived at his destination.

The Little Women actress Ronan responded to the PA news agency when asked how she was able to relate to the hopelessness and sorrow of a mother of a missing child, saying,

“I could only pull from my own life experience of just loving something so much and imagining that being taken away.”

However, it did offer me a fresh viewpoint on everything that is happening in the world right now.” Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the movie was filmed.

Ronan continued: “When I would leave set, I would turn the radio on, or I’d put the TV on and I saw it on my screen, it made it all too real and the fact that we were getting the chance to actually give that sort of struggle, but also that beautiful relationship time in a movie like this – it felt very poignant.”

References and Citation

rte.ie – Saoirse Ronan says shooting wartime film amid global conflict felt ‘poignant’

breakingnews.ie – Saoirse Ronan says shooting wartime film amid global conflict felt ‘poignant’

expressandstar.com – In Pictures: Sir Steve McQueen’s Blitz opens BFI London Film Festival

irishnews.com – Saoirse Ronan says shooting wartime film amid global conflict felt ‘poignant’