Saoirse Ronan - Before and Now

Saoirse is not a common name amongst everybody’s entertainment vocabulary, but this young actress from Ireland is quickly making a name for herself throughout the Hollywood community. Starting off at the age of nine in the Irish equivalent of E.R. titled "The Clinic," Saoirse soon gained ground when she earned the role of Orla Boland in "Proof" and Izzie in the comedy-drama "I Could Never Be Your Woman."

However, it was her stunning performance in the Oscar-winning movie "Atonement" (as thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis) that put her on the map. Surprisingly, Ronan was one of the youngest actresses nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role. In 2008, she played as Lina Mayfleet in Gil Kenan’s film adaptation of the book "City of Ember."

Her most recent role as the ill-fated Susie Salmon in Peter Jackson’s "The Lovely Bones" earned her critical acclaim as a leading actress as well as several awards (4 in total) including the Critics Choice Award for Best Young Actor/Actress and the Virtuoso Award at the 2010 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

With six successful films under her belt, many turn to her new upcoming and controversial role in the 2011 film "Hanna." The story of the movie revolves around the life of a young fourteen-year-old girl (Hanna) from Eastern Europe who was trained since her childhood to be an elite assassin. When Hanna is exposed to conventional life through the efforts of a teenage French girl and her family, she realizes that she was bred simply to kill. Similarities to other movies have been mentioned, but Focus Features is advertising the film as something along the lines of the popular "Bourne" trilogy.

Many critics are skeptical on the future film’s success, given its rare and out-of-the-box theme. The fan-base, though, regarding films such as Hanna has been steadily growing due to the internationally surprising success of the Japanese manga/anime series "Gunslinger Girl" (written and illustrated by Yu Aida).

Personally, I’m looking very forward to the film’s 2011 release being a die-hard "Gunslinger Girl" fan myself. The idea of a film so closely related to the series is mind-boggling to the point of utter excitement, and her remarkable performances in "Atonement" and "The Lovely Bones" have certainly put this young Irish actress among my favorites. Hopes and expectations are high for Saoirse Ronan! And I agree with Elisabeth Rappe of Cinematical.com in that “I’ll take teenage hitgirls over Hannah Montana any day.”