Saoirse Ronan: ‘Alcoholism isn’t only a problem for middle-aged men’
Saoirse Ronan’s new film, The Outrun, opens in Irish cinemas this week. We caught up with the Oscar-nominated actor to discuss the project and whether she thinks attitudes to alcohol are changing for the better.
Based on a best-selling memoir by Scottish journalist Amy Liptrot, the film stars Saoirse Ronan as Rona, a 29-year-old woman who returns to her remote home in the Orkney Islands after a decade away in London. A recovering alcoholic, she’s sober but lonely and tries to suppress her memory of the events which set her on this journey of recovery.
Without any expectations, Rona takes on a summer job for the RSPB doing a survey of the elusive corncrake bird that takes her to every inhabited island of Orkney. With no eyes for the landscape around her and stuck in a spiral of shame and regret, Rona tries to find stability in her new routine but the past follows her and slowly the mystical land that surrounds her starts to take over her inner world. In a moment of weakness when all seems to fall apart, she decides to place herself in isolation on the small island of Papay for the winter.
Slowly the beauty and lore of the land enter her inner world and—one day at a time—Rona finds hope and strength in herself among the heavy gales and the bracingly cold sea.
Encouraged to read the original book by her now-husband, Jack Lowden – who also serves as a producer on the film – Saoirse Ronan says she was greatly moved by the story. “You’re following this young woman going through this incredibly universal issue, but you’re also really connecting to the supporting characters around her; her mother, her father, her friends, everyone who’s affected by it. These people are going through their own hardships, and we really kind of honour her mother’s journey as well and her father’s for different reasons.”
Getting involved in production quite early on, the actor was drawn to the project by the strength of the writing. However, it was Ronan’s own personal experiences—she’s had loved ones battle alcoholism throughout her life—that initially made Lowden think she’d be the perfect choice as the lead character.
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Speaking to IMAGE.ie from the red carpet at the Irish premiere last week, Ronan admitted that there were many reasons she wanted to make the film but ultimately, it was about helping people understand this particular type of addiction. “It was something that kind of always scared me a little bit. As I said, for many people, it’s caused me a lot of pain and confusion. To play someone who’s mentally in that state, but also to spend time with people in real life who are in recovery – everyone we have in the rehab group is actually in recovery. They’re encouraged to be so brutally honest when they’re going through that process and they couldn’t have been more open with me – it was just the most helpful thing for me to at least understand that it’s not a choice, and if the substance is chosen over you, it’s not a reflection on you. That’s one of the many reasons why we really want to encourage people to go see the film, to just sort of understand the intricacies of this.”
While Ireland’s relationship with alcohol is admittedly incredibly nuanced, the Little Women star seems positive that attitudes are changing. There has been rising interest in the ‘Sober Curious Movement’ and figures released by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) show that alcohol consumption has dropped below 10 litres of pure alcohol per adult annually for the first time in 37 years. Ronan herself has definitely noticed a shift, adding that working on this film has also impacted her own attitude toward alcohol. “A lot of young people that I know are choosing to just not drink for their mental health or their physical health, which I think is amazing. I think it’s quite a strong thing to be able to do. Even in 2024, the culture is still so centred around alcohol, whether you have a healthy relationship with it or not. So, I think things are maybe changing very slowly.
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“That’s another reason why we wanted to make this film – we’re focusing on a young woman going through something like this, and sort of getting rid of that stereotype of it just being, you know, a [problem that only pertains to] middle-aged men. It’s something that can affect anyone from any walk of life, at any age, any gender. As someone who does have a relatively healthy relationship with alcohol, it’s made me much more conscious about it, and it’s actually allowed me to go out into social situations and know that I don’t need to go there, which has been a good thing, I think. So, I’m definitely seeing that happen more with our generation.”
Widely praised for her performance in this film, Ronan’s long-time collaborator, Greta Gerwig also recently came out in support of her friend, penning a wonderfully heartfelt tribute for the Telluride Film Festival in honour of the Irish actress.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Saoirse Ronan twice, in Lady Bird (2017) and Little Women (2019) and have been watching her transform in front of me as an audience member since she was just a little girl. The word ‘prodigy’ is thrown around a lot, but in her case, it is fitting,” writes Gerwig, adding, “Her gift is incredibly rare, but how she’s cared for it and grown it to become the formidable artist she is today, is rarer still.”
Commenting how every character Ronan has played is “unique” and “wildly different”, Gerwig said she was moved by the actor’s performance as Rona. “She holds the vast discomfort and ecstasy of being alive. I don’t recognise her, the Saoirse I know, in this film. But I never do. All traces of her are gone, and only the person of the character remains, and only ever the whole truth of that person. She fully inhabits this other life.”
Later describing the actor as “a mystic and a craftswoman”, Gerwig claimed that while she doesn’t quite know how Ronan does it, she’s “thrilled” every time she gets to “sit down and watch her become again.”
What does Ronan hope audiences take from The Outrun? Dark as the story may be at times, for her, it’s about the glimmer of sunshine peeking through. “I think the movie ultimately is about finding those moments of joy and lightness, no matter how brief they are, they’re sort of the thing that can keep you going. So I just feel like with the world we’re living in now, to have that little bit of hope is sort of precious.”
The Outrun opens in Irish cinemas on Friday, September 27. Watch the trailer below.
Film photography by Limelight Communications.
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