Saoirse Ronan describes public response to women’s safety remarks as ‘wild’

Saoirse Ronan has characterized the public’s response to a widely shared video of her discussing women’s safety during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show as “wild”. The actress from Ireland was a guest on the BBC One talk program last week, alongside fellow actors Paul Mescal, Eddie Redmayne, and Denzel Washington. Redmayne recounted learning to use a mobile phone as a weapon during his preparation for an assassin’s part in The Day of the Jackal. Subsequently, Mescal raised doubts about the practicality of retrieving a phone during an assault, prompting Ronan to state: “That’s what girls have to think about all the time. Am I right ladies?” The audience responded with applause, and the segment has gained significant traction on social media platforms in the subsequent days. On Wednesday, Ronan informed Ryan Tubridy of Virgin Radio UK that the reaction was “definitely not something that I had expected, and I didn’t necessarily set out to sort of make a splash”. Ronan, who is set to appear in the upcoming Oscar-tipped film Blitz, commented that the discussion highlighted societal attitudes towards women’s safety. She stated, “I think there’s something really telling about the society that we’re in right now and about how open women want to be with the men in their lives,”. The 30-year-old actress further mentioned that the exchange “felt very similar to when I am at dinner with a bunch of my friends and I will always make the point that, well, this is actually an experience that we go through every single day, 100%.” She expressed that it was “amazing” that this particular moment is “opening a conversation” and “allowing more women to just be like, well, yeah, actually, let’s talk about our experience”. The star of Lady Bird recounted a recent encounter with a woman who shared: “It’s really interesting, after we watched that interview, myself and a few of my female friends were with my husband and we said, you know, this really reminds me of the fake phone call.” She continued, “And her husband went, ‘What, fake phone call? What do you mean?'” Ronan added, “And of course, you wouldn’t understand if you’ve not had to go through anything like that. But she somehow, throughout her life as a female, has gained these tools without ever talking to other women about it and understanding that this is sort of a survival tactic.” The concept of a “fake phone call” describes a situation where an individual, suspecting they are being pursued by a potential assailant, simulates making a call on their mobile device as a self-protection measure. The intention behind this tactic is to deter a potential attacker by creating the impression that the individual is communicating with someone who could alert others. Ronan has garnered commendation for drawing attention to a common reality for women, with Elle writer Olivia Petter noting that Ronan had increased awareness of the “serious, ongoing thoughts women have on an almost daily basis”. Marina Hyde, a columnist for The Guardian, concurred, stating: “Most, if not absolutely all, women have been in a version of that conversation in their time, and almost all of us have not found the precise words to say in the moment it was happening.” In the initial discussion, Redmayne remembered being instructed on “how you can use the butt of your phone [as a weapon] if someone’s attacking you”. Mescal responded by questioning: “Who’s actually going to think about that, though? If someone attacks me I’m not going to go [reaches into pocket] – phone”. Following Ronan’s interjection that women must consider this “all the time”, a brief silence ensued, after which the audience applauded. The male guests on the couch, along with Norton, nodded in agreement, acknowledging her statement. Ronan’s appearance on Norton’s program was to discuss her upcoming role in Blitz, where she portrays Rita, a mother seeking her son amidst World War Two’s devastation in London. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.