The World War II drama Blitz, from director Steve McQueen, features Ronan as a single mother in London who is separated from her son George (Elliott Heffernan) when she sends him away to safety in the countryside as the Germans attack.

Saoirse Ronan, a four-time Oscar nominee, recently opened up about being pitted against fellow actress Dakota Fanning during the early stages of her career. Speaking to ELLE for their Women in Hollywood issue, Ronan, now 30, recalled feeling like there was limited space for young actresses like herself and Fanning in the industry.

Saoirse Ronan is in a class of her own—few other actors her age have received the level of critical acclaim (let alone four Oscar nominations). But Hollywood is still Hollywood, and working in the business since she was a pre-teen slotted her into a particular type—”precocious blonde child star,

Saoirse Ronan looked back on coming up in Hollywood, revealing that she was often pitted against other young actresses — namely, Dakota Fanning, who also got her start in the industry as a child. "For a while,