Saoirse Ronan says women’s bodies were ‘much healthier’ in the 50s

Irish actress Saoirse Ronan was all smiles for cameras at the Toronto International Film Festival as her latest project Brooklyn was welcomed with huge praise from critics.

The film is an adaptation of Colm Tóibin’s novel of the same name. The story of Eílis who leaves her rural hometown in Ireland for the US was adapted for film by Nick Hornby.

Speaking to Now Toronto, Saoirse was keen to downplay the acclaim she is receiving for her performance opposite Domhnall Gleeson.

She said that she was able to strongly identify with the character and her desire for growth fighting with a longing for her home:

“By the time we made the filmI’d essentially gone through Eílis’s journey.”

She explained that even now she feels a huge emotional attachment to the project and her character as she explained:

“I was right in the middle of feeling a deep, deep homesickness, missing my own mom and figuring out where I belonged in between these two places.”

Since the film’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year it has received much praise and exceedingly positive reviews. The New York Post commented Saoirse’s performance was “awards-calibre”.

While her work has been generating speculation of Oscar nominations, Saoirse would rather talk about the work itself than any awards or accolades.

She said that any “Oscar buzz” she hears is being taken with a pinch of salt.

She also commented that while she loved her costumes she felt a lot that had to do with the body types accepted as the norm in the 1950s.

"The shapes of the clothes are much more womanly, allowing for curves. Women were encouraged to have boobs and have a bum."

She added that she preferred “how much healthier” women’s body types were in the past.