Saoirse Ronan is taken aback by the widespread attention her comment on “The Graham Norton Show” has garnered. The 30-year-old “Lady Bird” actress recently appeared on the British comedy talk show and chimed in during a conversation about safety, which left male actors Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal, and Eddie Redmayne momentarily speechless. After the men joked about the ineffectiveness of using a phone to ward off an attack, Ronan interjected, “That’s what girls have to think about all the time.” The men fell silent, and Ronan continued, “Am I right, ladies?” The audience erupted in applause for the actress. Ronan’s remark quickly went viral on social media, earning her praise for addressing the issue of violence against women. “Dead silence until she called to the ladies — I love her,” one fan commented on TikTok. Ronan addressed the online buzz surrounding her viral comment during her appearance on The Ryan Tubridy Show on Virgin Radio UK. “The reaction has been wild,” she admitted. “It’s definitely not something I had anticipated, and I didn’t set out to make a big statement.”
“But I do think there’s something telling about our society right now and how open women want to be with the men in their lives,” Ronan added. “So many men and women from around the world have reached out to me about this one comment, which I would urge people to watch in context.” She continued, “Please watch the entire interview or at least that part of the conversation, because it really wasn’t about… the boys weren’t dismissing what I was saying. But at the same time, it felt similar to when I’m at dinner with friends and I always point out that this is an experience we go through daily, 100%.” The Oscar nominee referred to Mescal, 28, with whom she worked on the 2023 film “Foe,” as “one of my dear friends” and mentioned they’ve had discussions about this topic before. “He completely gets it and understands, but I think the fact that this moment happened on a show like Graham Norton has made it accessible and gained traction, which I find amazing,” she explained.
“It’s opening a conversation and hopefully allowing more women to share their experiences,” Ronan continued. “I met a woman last night working on ‘Blitz,’ and she said that after watching the interview, she and her female friends discussed it with her husband, who didn’t understand the concept of a fake phone call.” Ronan further recalled, “And of course, you wouldn’t understand if you’ve never gone through something like that. But she has, throughout her life as a woman, acquired these survival tools without ever discussing them with other women.” Ronan added, “We’ve all subconsciously found the same tools and use them repeatedly, which I find really interesting.” Ronan continues to be celebrated online, with the “Graham Norton Show” clip receiving millions of views on social media. “As a father of 2 teenage girls…good on her…thank you,” one fan wrote. “Those men better have been listening because the silence was deafening,” another commented. “Saoirse Ronan, thank you for standing up for all of us!” read a different comment.
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