The Lovely Bones
The Way Back
Hanna
Saoirse >> Quotes
"It wasn't one of those things where you hear about it and you jump up and down and scream. We just sat there [on the couch in their living room] and we're trying to figure out what they just said. 'Wait a minute, I've been cast in a Peter Jackson film.' For a few days, it was weird. I was just trying to get my head around it." - on how she reacted when she found out she'd been cast as Susie Salmon in "The Lovely Bones."
"I like books that are exciting and that make you think about things as well. I like things that have a twist - like Atonement, which I haven't read obviously, as I'm a bit young." - on what sorts of books she enjoys.
"Be the person I'm playing. That's what acting is. You're pretending to be someone else." - on acting.
"It's not work, it is more of a passion. It is so much fun and it is really makes you feel great at the end of the day. You feel like you are really after doing something good and you are after accomplishing something. Acting is one of these things that I can't really describe - it's just like, why do you love your mum and dad? You know, you just do." - on why she loves acting.
"It's unbelievable. Mom and I were in bed and dad was waiting up for the announcements again, because that's the way my daddy is. It's kind of a bit weird actually, in a good way, in a fantastic way. I never expected this in a million years to happen. I can't believe it. I'm really proud as well that two Irish paddies have been nominated for an Oscar for the same film. It's really great for Ireland, great." - On being nominated for an Oscar.
"Briony Tallis is such an amazing character and I'm so lucky to play her." - on her character in "Atonement".
"He has a great way of getting the message across, like if I'm confused about doing a scene or a certain line or something, he explains it so well and so clearly. He's just fantastic." - on Joe Wright, director of "Atonement".
"He just picked me up and said, 'Oh, I don't like this kid, I'm giving her back to her parents!' It wasn't like we had this special bond or anything." - on Brad Pitt holding her as an infant on set of "The Devil's Own".
"I used to play with my dolls and give them different accents. My Polly Pockets would have affairs with each other - things that probably a seven-year-old shouldn't have them doing. But it wasn't until I did Atonement that I knew I wanted to take it up seriously." - on when she decided she wanted to act.
"It was definitely a change from Irish telly. But at the end of the day, there's nothing to be starstruck about. These are just ordinary people and we just happen to do the same job. We could be working in an office." - on working with Michelle Pfeiffer and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
"We shot it in Belfast in the Titanic Quarter, where they painted the Titanic. We transformed it into a set... Well I didn't. I don't want to take all the credit." - on "City of Ember".
"Bill Murray was brilliant and so funny. When we were shooting a scene, he would add in extra lines to make me laugh. He was always making fun of people, just messing, but I always fought back. I'd laugh but I'd make fun of him too." - on working with Bill Murray in "City of Ember"
"Oh God, I'm so excited. You see, I watched the Oscars every year at home on an Irish channel and the reception was fuzzy because we were in the country. Every now and then, it would be: 'The winner for best actor is…' and then the screen would go all grey. It's kind of surreal that I'm actually going to be there this year." - on her excitement to get to attend the Academy Awards in 2008.
"We knew what the movie was about and of course, that rang alarm bells [with my parents]. But we knew we were in safe hands." - on the subject of "The Lovely Bones'" murder scene.
"I went over and I met him, Fran Walsh and Phil Boynes and they are just the best people in the world. For three people who have accomplished so much they are just really down to earth and really lovely, normal people. The great thing about them is that they bring everyone from all their other films on their next project, so they are all like a big family and everything is really comfortable" - On Peter Jackson, Phillipa Boynes, and Fran Walsh.
"I was delighted with that actually. Very nice. It’s kind of cool having a fan site. If I want to find out about myself – because I don’t know half the stuff that all these people on the Internet know – I just say, “Right, what am I doing tomorrow?” and I’ll go onto my fan site. It is mad, though, how much they know, you know?" - On having fan sites.
"When you are away, you realise how much you miss your home." - On filmimg away from home.
"I like books that are exciting and that make you think about things as well. I like things that have a twist – like Atonement, which I haven’t read obviously, as I’m a bit young." - On her favorite kinds of books.
"Do I really sound like a Spice Girls fan?" - On talking about her favorite band.
"I find being recognized in the street hard to deal with, though I don’t have it as bad as the Twilight people or the Harry Potter kids." - On being recognized on the street.
"People say Briony's a bitch, and she's not. She's not vindictive or spiteful. It's just that she doesn't express her emotions; she just sits and observes everything, whereas Susie is much more out there. She's more your typical teenager, running about in the world, disgusted when she sees her parents kissing." - On the differences between her characters and their personalities.
"I don't come from a family that has money. Maybe that's why this stuff doesn't bother me. They had to struggle for a long time, and then this happened and things are better." - On how acting has changed her life.
"You actually say it 'Sairsha'. But you can also say it 'Sersha', or 'Seersha' – both are okay." - On her name's pronunciation.