Saoirse Ronan “wasn’t expecting” such a strong reaction to viral gender violence comment on Graham Norton

nme.com:

The Graham Norton Show that went viral.In an interview with Virgin Radio UK, Ronan – in conversation with host Ryan Tubridy to promote her new film Blitz – reflected on her Graham Norton appearance.On the variety show, Ronan was joined by Gladiator II stars Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal, along with Eddie Redmayne, who appeared to promote the upcoming miniseries The Day Of The Jackal.Redmayne stars in it as The Jackal, a shadowy assassin-for-hire who’s also being chased by British intelligence.

The actor discusses the intensive training required for the role – he notes that he learned about using a phone as a self-defense weapon in case of danger.Mescal picks up on it – but jokes about the silliness of using a phone in such a situation, to which Norton joins in.

Ronan, however, is reminded of a harsher reality: “That’s what girls have to think about all the time,” she said, to the dumbfounded silence of her fellow actors. “Am I right ladies?” she asked the audience, who applauded.The clip instantly went viral, with social media users taking Mescal to task for making light of the topic.

Speaking with Tubridy, Ronan pushed back on the reactions towards Mescal, whom she calls a “dear friend”. “Please watch the whole interview or watch at least that part of the conversation, because it really wasn’t about… the boys weren’t sort of like debunking anything that I was saying.”She continued: “I do 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,” she notes.