Actress Saoirse Ronan travelled to Dublin this week to accept her two Irish Film and Television Awards from IFTA director Deirdre Hopkins. The 14 year old star of ‘Atonement’ won the Best Supporting Actress and Irish Film Board Rising Star Award at the IFTAs in February but was unable to attend the event due to filming commitments.
The actress, home in Ireland on a break from filming Peter Jackson’s ‘The Lovely Bones’ in New Zealand, said of her delight upon hearing she’d won the two IFTA awards. “It was really nice because it’s the Irish award and I just felt really proud that I won one of them, let alone two.”
The Irish Film & Television Awards took place on the 17th of February this year and Saoirse’s grandparents, Tom and Una Ronan, attended the ceremony on her behalf. Disappointed that she couldn’t be there in person, Saoirse was delighted her grandparents could join the celebrations, “We knew that they were going because in case I did win they’d go up and accept it for me. They were nervous but they wanted someone to be there and they had a great time. I was glad that Nanny and Granddad were there, it would have been nice to go – but maybe another year.”
In addition to her two IFTA Awards, Ronan was nominated for Oscar and Golden Globe awards for her acclaimed role in ‘Atonement’. The actress will be seen alongside Bill Murray in the Irish filmed feature ‘City of Ember’ later this year, and will return to New Zealand in late May to film final scenes for Jackson’s ‘The Lovely Bones’, alongside Mark Whalberg, Susan Sarandon and Rachel Weisz.
Speaking of her time in New Zealand the 14 year old said; “It was an amazing experience. Pete brings in all the same people for every film that he does, so they’re just fantastic. The first day that you’re there, they make you feel so welcome, they’re just lovely and I’m really going to miss them.”
