Saoirse leads the Irish in pursuit of Oscar
SAOIRSE RONAN will be hoping it is third time lucky after she was nominated in the Best Actress category for the Oscars.
The 23-year-old Carlow actress will be among those flying the flag for Ireland in Hollywood on March 4 after she was nominated for her acclaimed role in Greta Gerwig’s coming-of-age story ‘Lady Bird’.
This is her third time nominated for an Academy Award, and one of five Irish nominations in a strong year for homegrown talent.
‘Lady Bird’ itself was given the nod in five different categories for the Oscars’ 90th anniversary and Ronan last night said she was “thrilled” with the recognition it received.
Beauty
“To have been a part of a film like ‘Lady Bird’ was a true privilege and I am incredibly grateful to the Academy for recognising this wonderful story about the beauty and strength of women,” she said.
“I am especially thrilled to share this moment with Laurie Metcalf and our leader and director Ms Gerwig who, like Lady Bird, is an incredible woman and a dear friend.”
Gerwig described her own nominations as an “unbelievable honour” as she became only the fifth woman in history to score a best director nod.
She is the first female director to be nominated in eight years, and also picked up a best screenplay nomination for her semiautobiographical story about a teenage girl growing up in Sacramento.
She paid tribute to the film’s stars, saying: “This is an unbelievable honour and I am beside myself with joy and gratitude.
“The entire team who made ‘Lady Bird’ poured their heart and soul into it, and I am so deeply grateful to the Academy for their recognition.
“I couldn’t be prouder of my brilliant women who led the cast, Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf, and I am so thrilled that they were nominated for their beautiful performances.”
Metcalf, who plays Lady Bird’s mother and is nominated in the best supporting actress category, said: “What a morning. I’m thrilled to be recognised with the incredible actresses in my category and am grateful to the Academy for this amazing honour.
“Congrats to our fearless leader Greta and my ‘Lady Bird’ Saoirse Ronan for their nominations as well!”
Meanwhile, three-time winner Daniel Day-Lewis was named in the Best Actor category for his role in ‘Phantom Thread’, which he said last year would be his final movie before his retirement.
Acclaimed Dublin designer Consolata Boyle was nominated in the category of Best Costume Design for her work on ‘Victoria & Abdul’, also securing her third Oscar nomination.
Yet another third-time nominee for the prestigious Academy Awards was the Kilkenny-based animation studio Cartoon Saloon.
In the category of Best Animated Feature Film, its movie ‘The Breadwinner’ was given a nod.
Irish director Nora Twomey said that she was “so proud of our whole team”.
London-Irish playwright and director Martin McDonagh predictably dominated the nominations with his ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’.
He wrote, directed and co-produced the movie about a mother who rents three billboards to call attention to her daughter’s unsolved murder.
Competition
Having reigned supreme at the Golden Globes, it received a total of seven nominations in some of the leading categories.
Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell have also been nominated for their performances in the film, as is Frances McDormand, who will be providing some seriously stiff competition to Ronan when it comes to the Best Actress gong.
McDonagh, who previously won an Oscar for Best Short, said he was delighted at the film being honoured.
“I’m thrilled that our film has received seven nominations from the Academy,” he said.
And he paid tribute to his fellow nominees, adding: “I can’t wait to celebrate with them all come March 4.”