Actress Saoirse Ronan is interviewed on the Red Carpet Sunday night at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, where she received the Santa Barbara Award. 
Actress Saoirse Ronan poses for the cameras on the Red Carpet Sunday night at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. 
Saoirse Ronan is interviewed Sunday night at the Arlington Theatre by Indiewire editor-at-large Anne Thompson. 
Actress Saoirse Ronan poses Sunday night in front of the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara. 
Actress Saoirse Ronan poses for the cameras on the Red Carpet Sunday night at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. 
Actress Saoirse Ronan poses for the cameras on the Red Carpet Sunday night at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. 
Actress Saoirse Ronan poses for selfies with fans on the Red Carpet Sunday night at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. 
Actress Saoirse Ronan accepting the Santa Barbara Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Irish-American actress Saoirse Ronan garnered the prestigious Santa Barbara Award Sunday night for her critically acclaimed role in Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird.”
On the fifth day of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, a healthy crowd of post-Super Bowl watchers and fans gathered at the Arlington Theatre to watch the tribute ceremony for the 23-year-old actress, who was fashionably dressed in a white silk halter top and a black sequined midi .
The Santa Barbara Award is given to a person in the entertainment industry who has made a great contribution to film.
Ronan’s many film credits include “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Hanna,” “The Lovely Bones,” and “The Way Back.”
She has received Academy Award nominations for her performances in “Atonement” and “Brooklyn,” and recently was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for her performance in “Lady Bird.”
Past recipients of the Santa Barbara award include Isabelle Huppert, Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, Daniel Day-Lewis, Geoffrey Rush, Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet, Javier Bardem, Bill Condon, and Naomi Watts.
“In 'Lady Bird,' Saoirse Ronan has once again proven that she is a force of nature and one of her generation’s most exciting young talents,” stated SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. “I just love Saoirse. She is one of the best actors of our time.”
Opening the event on stage, Durling thanked the night’s sponsors: the SBIFF board of directors and UGG.
Indiewire editor-at-large Anne Thompson moderated the interview with Ronan.
Amazingly, at age 23, Ronan has completed 24 films. She made her first TV appearance in 2003 at the age of 13.
She is the second youngest actress get a second Oscar nomination at the age of 21, behind only of Angela Lansbury who got her second nomination at the age of 20.
As of 2018, Ronan has appeared in four films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: “Atonement” (2007), “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (2014) “Brooklyn” (2015) and “Lady Bird” (2017).
“I was born in the Bronx, but my family moved back to Dublin when I was 3,” Ronan said. “My parents wanted me to have a garden and a backyard and some space. My mother was a nanny, and my father worked in a pub.
“My dad had never seen a play before, but he was discovered at the pub and started acting. When I was 6 years old, I played a part in one of my father’s films. Acting felt very natural to me.”
Saoirse made her first TV appearance with a small role in a few episodes of the TV series “The Clinic” (2003). Her first film appearance was in the 2007 movie, “I Could Never Be Your Woman.”
Saoirse received international fame after appearing in the movie “Atonement,” also in 2007, which was directed by Joe Wright. The movie co-starred Keira Knightley and James McAvoy.
The film was successful both critically and commercially, and Saoirse earned an Oscar nomination for her role.
“When I got my first Oscar nomination, I was most excited because I got to be on the telly. I went with my Mom and Dad. It was brilliant; it was great.”
Moderator Thompson asked Ronan about which women had an influence on her career.
She said, “Mom is my hero. She is everything. She unconditionally supports me. I also have wonderful female friends.”
Ronan seems to have endless movie assignments, but says that she takes six-month breaks to keep herself “grounded.” Indeed, production has just been completed on Ronan’s next film where she will star as Mary Stuart in the period drama “Mary Queen of Scots,” co-starring Margot Robbie as Elizabeth I of England.
Also in production is a feature alongside Annette Bening in a film adaptation of Anton Chekhov's play “The Seagull.”
SBIFF is a nonprofit arts and education organization dedicated to making a positive impact utilizing the power of film. The festival is a year-round organization that is best known for its main film festival that takes place in February.
Over the past 32 years, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States – attracting 90,000 attendees and offering 11days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums.
SBIFF has expanded its year-round operation to include a variety of educational programming, fulfilling its mission to engage, enrich and inspire the community through film.
For more information, contact SBIFF, 1528 Chapala Street #203, Santa Barbara 93101, phone 805.963.0023, or visit www.sbiff.org.
Rochelle Rose is a Noozhawk contributing writer and veteran of many Santa Barbara International Film Festivals.
