Saoirse Ronan said she is “so proud” after the vote to repeal the eighth amendment won by a landslide.
The 24-year-old just landed her first cover of US Vogue, a feat which only a handful of Irish women have achieved before her, and she spoke at length about her decision to use her voice for political activism.
She appeared alongside a number of other well known stars in a Together For Yes campaign video earlier this year and said she didn’t fear the potential backlash that could come from her declaring her allegiance.
“I wouldn’t say I grew up politically minded, but the older I get, the more in touch I am with what activists are doing – and the more I want to help them,” she told the magazine.
“I know people who had to travel abroad in order to get an abortion, and that’s when I knew I would speak out. To see family and friends, and people I wouldn’t have expected to vote yes, choose to give Irish women their rights.”
Despite having one of the most enviable careers in Hollywood, and three Oscar nominations under her belt, the Carlow-born actress will always consider Ireland home and bought a €1m home in Wicklow last year.
“Ireland is smaller than England, and I love it for that,” she said.
“I feel most at home and at peace when I’m in the country. Though I like being in London too. There’s an anonymity. You can disappear into the human flow.”
“I still get completely shocked that anyone knows who I am. But I’m not… famous. I just genuinely don’t think I am. Selena Gomez is famous.”
Having worked in the industry since she was a child, landing her first Academy Award nomination at 13, Ronan says she was lucky to avoid any nefarious exchanges on set, except for one occasion when a director was keen to push a particular scene. She doesn’t divulge what scene, film or director she’s referencing.
“My mam walked onto the set. She said, ‘You’re not doing that again unless we map out exactly when this is going to stop.’ I was very lucky that I had a proper protector with me.”
In 2016, at the peak of her own Oscar buzz, Limerick native Ruth Negga appeared on the cover of the fashion bible.