LOS ANGELES — Saoirse Ronan had a voice whispering in her ear while working on the new sci-fi romance The Host. And it wasn’t the film’s director.
Ronan plays Melanie, a young woman whose body has been taken over by an alien, known as Wanda. The two end up sharing a body, which meant most of the time during filming, the Irish actress was talking to herself.
Ronan recorded the lines for the alien, which were played back to her through a tiny earpiece. Only she and the director, Andrew Niccol, could hear both sides of the conversation.
She laughs, saying that part was easy because she tends to chat with herself anyway.
“It did take a bit to get used to it,” says Ronan. “Also, because we were shooting out in the desert, it would go in and out of frequency. And it had this really high-pitched sound when the signal was gone. So that would come into my ears and my ears are very sensitive anyway. So that was a pain.”
Dealing with those technological issues were just part of the demands of the role.
First, Ronan had to make both sides of her character come across as different as possible. She accomplished this through body language and using two American accents — one slightly Southern, the other more Middle American.
Once she found the right voices, there were the physical demands that come with making a sci-fi tale. That part was easier because Ronan had made the physically demanding 2011 release Hanna, which prepared her for stunt work. It was the Hanna film that convinced The Host producers Ronan could handle the demands of the role.
And now there are the demands that come with making a movie based on a popular Stephenie Meyer book. The last young actors who starred in movie based on Meyer’s books (Twilight saga) were vaulted into superstardom.
Ronan hasn’t thought too much about that kind of residual effect. She looks at The Host as just another acting job, plus she’s worked on three other projects since shooting wrapped.
“I am aware with a movie like this, that at least in book form, becomes part of a franchise and you do get a lot of attention. I don’t know how I will react to something like that because the films I’ve made have never gotten attention like that,” says Ronan. “So I’m not used to that kind of stuff. But, I’ll just wait and see. It may not happen. You never know.”
If stardom comes, the actress is ready. Despite being only 18, Ronan’s worked as an actress half her life and already has an Oscar nomination for her work in Atonement.
Her fellow actors and Niccol agree: Ronan is so grounded and professional they know she can handle fame. On hearing that praise, the actress blushes slightly and jokingly suggests she paid them all to say it.
She adds, in a more serious tone: “If you are in love with the work, and working, then you won’t get swept up in it.”
