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The Big Picture

Collider’s Steve Weintraub talks with Saoirse Ronan for Steve McQueen’s
Blitz
on Apple TV+.

Blitz
is an upcoming WWII drama about a group of civilians in London affected by the war.
During this interview, Ronana discusses
Slow Horses
Seasons 5 and 6, McQueen’s unique on-set direction style, and her upcoming dark comedy
Bad Apples
.

Saoirse Ronan is a rare class of actor. Blowing audience minds with her deeply personable, grounded performances since the age of 13, when she was nominated for her first Academy Award for Atonement. Since then, she’s brought tender, nuanced portrayals to the screen with her other award-nominated turns in Brooklyn, Lady Bird, and Little Women. Now, Ronan stuns once again in prestigious writer-director Steve McQueen’s (12 Years A Slave; Best Picture Oscar) ensemble war epic Blitz.

Blitz follows an independent young boy named George (played by Elliott Heffernan) as he adventures in London during World War II. Soon finding himself in incredible danger amidst the infamous Blitz, Ronan’s distraught mother, Rita, searches for him. The film also stars Stephen Graham, Kathy Burke, and musician Benjamin Clémentine in his debut film role.

Collider’s Steve Weintraub had the opportunity to sit down with Ronan to discuss all things Blitz, including how director McQueen’s devotion to the authentic translates into surprisingly fast shoot days, as well as feeling slightly jealous she wasn’t able to share a scene with UK acting legends Burke or Graham, and how genuinely excited she is for her upcoming dark-comedy Bad Apples.

Saoirse Ronan Discusses Her Love of ‘Slow Horses’ Season 5
“I know what’s gonna happen in the next season.”
Image via Apple TV+

COLLIDER: It’s great to talk with you. It’s also a little bit weird because I’ve been doing this job for a long time. I feel like as Collider has grown, your career has grown.

SAOIRSE RONAN: We’re twinning.

Exactly. 100%. I’ll start with the most important question first: what is your favorite season of Slow Horses?

RONAN: The newest season. It’s so good. Are you up to date? Have you seen Episode 5?

I’ve seen the whole season.

RONAN: Oh, have you seen Episode 6?

Yeah, I just interviewed [showrunner] Will Smith for the finale.

RONAN: Okay, okay. I haven’t seen it yet, but I was so impressed by Episode 5. I just thought it was so cool. Adam [Randall], the director that they have for the season, is a real talent.

It’s one of the best shows on TV. That’s the reason I keep talking to Will about each season. I can’t believe you haven’t seen the finale yet! Just because I’m surprised you haven’t seen it, but it’s a great episode.

RONAN: I can’t wait. I think it’s coming out on Wednesday here. I’m on a plane Thursday, so I’ll watch it then. But yeah, I don’t think Jack [Lowden] has it, but he’s like, “I really want you to see that one.” He’s really proud of that one.

Related ‘Slow Horses’ Showrunner Gives Positive Update on Season 5 [Exclusive] Showrunner Will Smith discusses the series’ future plan and whether he takes notes from real spies.

I would like to say things, but I’m just gonna say I think you’re gonna really enjoy the episode.

RONAN: Yes. Don’t say. Although, you see, I know what’s gonna happen in the next season. So, it’s quite an interesting experience to watch it knowing.

Will said to me they were just about done filming the new season. I was trying to get him to tell me when it would come out.

Stagework Is the Most Nerve-Wracking for Saoirse Ronan
Image via Marc Brenner

You’ve done so many cool projects throughout your career. What was the most nervous you’ve been the night before the first day of filming something?

RONAN: It’s always nerve-wracking. Before you start a job, you’re always nervous, so it’s hard to say which one I was the most nervous on. In general, my fear goes to another level when I do a play. So, before I did The Crucible. I don’t think I’ve ever been more scared than when I did The Crucible, which was a stage production. Same with Macbeth. I was very nervous about Lady Bird. I was very nervous about Brooklyn. The earlier ones, you are nervous, but in a different way. You can’t fully comprehend the weight of it. So, yeah, I would say those guys.

How Steve McQueen Shaves Hours Off His Shooting Day
“He would wrap us after the first set-up because he had it.”
Image via Apple TV+

I am a huge fan of Steve McQueen. You’ve worked with other very talented filmmakers. Is Steve unique in any way compared to other filmmakers? What was he actually like to work with? What is he like on set?

RONAN: I think Steve would say himself, in a lot of ways, he doesn’t want to stick around longer than he has to. So, if he’s found a take that encapsulates everything he’s trying to achieve in a scene, he will just do that one shot, and then he’ll be done. There were days we would have on Blitz where we would wrap three hours early, which is just unheard of. And when Jack did Small Axe, it was exactly the same. When he knows he has something, he just moves on because all he’s looking for is the truth. As soon as he finds that really truthful, authentic moment, then he’s happy. He’ll never push you more than he needs to. He’s incredibly respectful of the actor and what they bring to the table. He always says best idea wins, so if it doesn’t come from him, he doesn’t care. He wants the project he’s working on to feel as truthful and real as possible.

Yeah, I don’t hear too often, “Oh, we wrapped early that day.”

RONAN: We would wrap hours early. We would have five setups for a scene, and he would wrap us after the first set-up because he had it. It was crazy.

Yeah, that’s bananas.

Why Saoirse Ronan Was Happy To Take a Step Back in ‘Blitz’
“So stimulating. It’s so exciting. It’s so relentless. It’s so action-packed.”

What is it actually like watching a film like this for the first time? While you are a huge part of the film, there are a lot of scenes you’re not a part of. So I’m just curious, even if you’ve read the script, that reaction to seeing it.

RONAN: It was so exciting when I watched this for the first time. And actually, I loved that I wasn’t in all of it because I could just enjoy it as a film made by one of my favorite directors. There are moments where he will almost make it relentless, like the emotion of a scene will be dragged out to a point where you kind of can’t think about anything else. That opening sequence is so stimulating. It’s so exciting. It’s so relentless. It’s so action-packed. It’s painful to watch. He plays with the audience so well when he works in that way and when he edits a sequence in that way. So I was in, hook, line, and sinker, from the very beginning.

In particular, to see the moments between Elliott [Heffernan] and Benjamin [Clémentine], who plays Ife, they were probably my favorite moments in the whole movie. I just thought Benjamin was incredible. I don’t think he’d ever acted before, but he was just so phenomenal. Obviously, seeing Stephen Graham and Kathy Burke, who I adore and grew up watching, I felt slightly jealous that they all got to work together because I really wanted to share scenes with them. But I loved seeing all of that come together. Their looks and everything. It was so cool.

I agree. There are so many things I could talk about with the film. Were you happy or a little bit disappointed that you were not in the underground tube flooding sequence?

RONAN: I was more than happy not to be in that sequence. I think Elliott did a great job, but I was happy not to do it. [Laughs] Actually, I had made The Outrun just before that, and we did a whole underwater sequence for the opening credits of the film. So, I had to learn how to semi-dive with an oxygen mask. I love to swim, and I love water, but I hated that. I felt really claustrophobic, panicky. I didn’t like it. Elliott is the pro when it comes to underwater stuff.

Saoirse Ronan’s Darkly Funny Upcoming ‘Bad Apples’
Image via StudioCanal

Do you know what you’re filming later this year or next year? Are you going back to the stage? What’s coming up for you?

RONAN: I can’t film anything this year. I’ve got too much to do with promoting these two films. So I won’t be filming anything. I have a film called Bad Apples that will come out next year, which is a sort of dark Scandi-Brit comedy. I don’t know what I’m doing next. I have a few things in development, but nothing solid to start next year.

I actually wanted to talk about Bad Apples just for a second. I read the synopsis, and it’s pretty crazy. Could you talk about what it’s about?

RONAN: It’s essentially about this teacher who’s overworked and incredibly stressed, and it’s all because of this one pupil in her class who is kind of classed as a “bad apple.” He makes her life and all the pupils’ lives a living hell. Through a series of unfortunate events, he ends up in her basement. She keeps him in there, and it’s about the aftermath of that. The ripple effect of him being removed from the system, as it were. So, it’s a real commentary on corruption, I think, the education system and abuse of power, really. But it’s also hilarious. I saw it the other day, and it’s excellent, so I’m excited about that one.

Blitz is available to stream on Apple TV+.

Follow the stories of a group of Londoners during the events of the British capital bombing in World War II.Release Date November 1, 2024 Director Steve McQueen Cast Elliott Heffernan , Saoirse Ronan , Paul Weller , Harris Dickinson , Benjamin Clementine , Kathy Burke , Stephen Graham , Leigh Gill , Mica Ricketts , CJ Beckford , Alex Jennings , Joshua McGuire , Hayley Squires , Erin Kellyman , Sally Messham Writers Steve McQueen Expand

Watch on Apple TV