Here’s another interview of Saoirse and Rose for The Lovely Bones. Screencaps will be upload soon.

Saoirse Ronan says a movie company is like a family doomed to break up.

“I’ve never been able to fully accept after a movie or TV show that it will be a year before you see these people again at the premiere,” the Oscar-nominated 15-year-old actress said. “And you’re never actually going to be with this whole group of people again, ever.

After spending long hours together for weeks or months, it’s a hard thing to deal with.”

But something wonderful happened when Ronan was making “The Lovely Bones.”

The Irish Ronan and New Zealand actress Rose McIver, who plays her big sister in the film, hit it off so well on the set that they’ve been able to forge an enduring friendship

“It’s funny,” Ronan said in a joint interview with McIver. “Rose and I don’t have all that many scenes together. But even on days when she wasn’t working she showed up on the set, and we got to know each other very well.”

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“Neither of us has a sister,” the 22-year-old McIver said. “So that’s how I think of us. Saoirse is like my sister — my big sister. I’m six years older, but she’s an old soul.”

“Yeah, I am an old soul,” Ronan confirmed.

“It’s natural because she’s spent so much time around adults. I met her when she just turned 13, and she certainly didn’t come across as a 13-year-old,” McIver added.

Despite the grim subject matter of “The Lovely Bones” (a murdered girl watches from the afterlife as her family copes with the tragedy), the set was remarkably happy, Ronan said.

“I can’t think of one day when I didn’t want to go in and work,” she said.

Acting careers can be particularly hard on young performers, who often spend their adolescence in front of a camera instead of going to school and hanging with friends. That makes the relationships they forge on the job all the more important.

“I remember my first TV show,” Ronan said. “I was only in it for two weeks, but I was so upset when it was finished. You’re around intelligent, clever, creative people who are as passionate about a project as you are. Breaking away from that is tough.”

“Plus,” McIver said, “when you spend long hours away from home among other people, you get a real sense of intimacy. Saoirse and I have kept in contact since we completed ’Lovely Bones,’ which I think is sort of unusual.”

“Very,” Ronan added. “During a job there are an awful lot of people you meet and like and genuinely want to keep in touch with. But in reality you don’t keep in touch with many of them. They’re busy or living and working too far apart. But luckily it’s worked for Rose and me.”

McIver has often worked in films and TV shows shot in her hometown of Auckland. This allowed her to stay in touch with the people she grew up with.

“In fact, I just came back from a beach holiday with some old school friends,” she said.

Ronan said her experience is just the opposite.

“I haven’t really worked in Ireland that much,” she said. “I’ve always been far away from my friends. And because they’re young, they can’t just hop on a flight and come see me. I swore I never would, but I’ve started a Facebook page because that way I can stay in touch. … But it’s still not quite the same as seeing them face to face.”

While McIver was able to finish high school and doesn’t feel she missed any of the usual teen experiences, Ronan said the celebrity that came with the film “Atonement” and her Oscar nomination made going to a regular school impossible.

“I have to be home-schooled because I attract too much attention if I attend regular classes. That’s the only time I feel I’m missing a part of normal growing up. But even then, having a one-on-one relationship with my tutor has been really satisfying,” she said. “And the opportunities, the experiences, the people I’ve met — I wouldn’t give that up for anything. I realized at a very young age that an acting career is what I wanted.”

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Ronan, who was 14 when the film was made, didn’t read the book until shooting wrapped. But the script left nothing to her imagination.

“We didn’t talk about that scene much beforehand,” she said, in her thick Irish accent. “It was a few months into shooting before we did it. Both Stanley and I were quite anxious to get it out of the way, so we just went in on the day. Everything that I needed was already written for me, and Pete was there so I felt very, very safe. Luckily, Stanley and I are very comfortable with each other. I think that was essential in order to get that intensity onscreen. We could bounce off each other and sort of freak each other out, in a way.”

Tucci admitted that after every take, he would turn to Ronan, and ask her if she was OK.
“And then she would also ask me if I was OK,” he said, smiling. “It turns out that she’s the one who, in some ways, made us all feel comfortable, because she was so mature.”

“I know I wouldn’t have been able to stay in that place for the whole time because when the cameras started to roll, it was extremely intense,” said Ronan. “Stanley is such a great guy, and to see how he changes is frightening. It certainly feeds whatever performance I needed to get out.”

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Tribute.ca posted an interview with Saoirse last year.

Bonnie Laufer spoke with Ronan in Los Angeles about dealing with this disturbing subject matter, the pressures of fronting a lead role and working with her talented and inspiring director, Peter Jackson.

Young stars keep their cool in ‘The Lovely Bones’
Hollywood’s young starlets could learn a thing or two from Saoirse Ronan and Rose McIver.

Without a massive entourage or ego between them, the two costars of “The Lovely Bones” walked into a recent Toronto screening of Peter Jackson’s new thriller.

Their effect on the audience almost topped their fine screen performances.

“They’re so articulate. So nice,” said one disbelieving moviegoer sitting beside me.”

“Who knew young stars could be so composed?” said another impressed individual.

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Indeed, Ronan, 15, and McIver, 21, brought so much well-spoken, down-to-earth enthusiasm to their discussion of “The Lovely Bones” that onlookers muttered plenty of “Wow’s!” by the time these pros were done talking.

Each actress puts an indelible stamp on Jackson’s hugely-anticipated adaptation of Alice Sebold’s 2002 novel.

Susie Salmon, the story’s murdered, 14-year-old heroine, is beautifully and believably rendered by Irish actress Ronan.

The gifted Ronan earned an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of the meddling sister, Briony Tallis, in the 2007 film “Atonement.”

Her ravishing performance as the heavenly narrator Susie, a girl on the brink of life before she is raped, killed and dismembered by a neighbour (Stanley Tucci), could score Ronan a second Oscar nomination in 2011.

New Zealand actress McIver (“The Piano”) also shines on screen with equal strength as Lindsey Salmon, Susie’s younger, earthbound sister.

Like their father, portrayed with heart-breaking despair and dedication by Mark Wahlberg, Lindsey puts everything on the line to solve Susie’s ghastly murder.

“She’s definitely the most courageous character in the story,” Ronan told CTV.ca.

The film’s most nerve-wracking scene, in fact, comes when McIver breaks into the killer’s house and desperately searches for evidence before his return.

McIver’s thrilling race against the clock wonderfully conjures up that exquisite tension found in many of Alfred Hitchcock’s finest films.

A matter of trust

“With the kind of subject matter that is in this book you can’t really commit to it unless you feel very secure. Peter made us all feel like that,” McIver told CTV.ca.

“Yes, we felt very safe right from the off,” said Ronan.

That is a good thing, to be sure, because both actresses shared some very frightening moments on screen with bad-guy Tucci.

“It’s funny, really, because Stanley is a family man. He’s so charming and kind. You’ll see him in a wonderful suit holding a martini glass. He’s the complete opposite of this killer George Harvey,” Ronan told CTV.ca.

“Quite a few of my scenes were with Stanley and they were all very intense and very emotional,” Ronan added.

The creepiest by far is Ronan’s scene with Tucci in a secret underground hideaway in an isolated cornfield.

The monstrous, mousy killer goes to great lengths to build this camouflaged den, filling it with toys, candles and other pleasantries to lure the girl in on her walk home school.

“This is so cool,” Susie bubbles over as she climbs down into the cozy cellar.

In a matter of moments, however, Susie’s better instincts tell her to run. Sadly, her intuition kicks in when it is far too late to save her life.

“The cornfield scene was the first one Stanley and I did together” Ronan explained.

“Between takes I’d go and give Stanley a hug. That was the kind of relationship it was. Then the camera would start to roll and Stanley would start thinking about killing me,” Ronan smiled.

Despite its grim subject matter, (“Which was very hard to get behind,” according to McIver), “The Lovely Bones” is not without humour.

Some of the film’s funniest moments come courtesy of Susan Sarandon, who portrays Susie’s mink-clad, booze-loving grandmother.

The laughs certainly help Susie and her parents (Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz) endure their own special hell throughout the film.

As in Sebold’s book, however, Jackson lets love win out on earth — and in that in-between plane outside of heaven from which Susie looks down.

“This film says something very special about how strong a father’s love can be for his child,” said Ronan.

Where McIver plays the slightly ignored child in the family, Ronan’s Susie is the apple of her father’s eye. Death can do little to change that fact.

“Susie is the oldest child and very close to her father,” said Ronan. “Their connection strengthens when she dies because he can’t let go. He won’t let her rest. It’s only when they do let go that both of them can move on.”

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She was just 13-years-old when she was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in 2007’s Atonement. Now, at 15, she’s staring in Peter Jackson’s latest film, The Lovely Bones. The movie, which opens nationwide today, is based on Alice Sebold’s best-selling novel of the same name about a young girl who is murdered and finds herself in the in-between. myMag had the privilege of speaking with Saoirse Ronan about her character Susie, what it was like to work with Peter Jackson, and how this film helped her cope with her own loss of a family member.

What first attracted you to this film?
The first thing was the fact that it was Peter Jackson who was directing it. He’s made some incredible pieces of work over the years, as far back as Heavenly Creatures. Whether he was a nice guy or not, it was going to be a good experience and something that I shouldn’t turn down. I read the script and completely fell in love with it. It was so beautiful, and touching, and funny. And then I met Pete, Fran [Walsh] and Phillipa [Boyens].I love them. They’re so normal. I knew instantly that I was in safe hands.

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Peter Jackson turned out to be a nice guy then…
He did turn out to be a nice guy. [Laughs]

How did you react when you found out you had been cast in the role?
I couldn’t believe it. I actually found out before I met Pete, so it was really shocking. It actually took about 10 seconds for me and my parents to even speak. Then we were thrilled. We were delighted and couldn’t believe it. Not only was I going to be working with Peter Jackson, probably one of the best directors in history, but the fact that it was produced by Steven Spielberg as well…wonderful.

Part of Susie’s development during the film is actually her demise. How did you prepare to play the role of someone who is brutally murdered, and then depict her after her death?
I never really thought of Susie as a dead girl. Her body had died, but her soul lived on. She’s in the in-between. She’s growing, but she’s always longed for that kiss from Ray Singh. And wanted to be with her family, and wanted all of those normal things that she could never have. I think that was very important to show that. That she wasn’t really dead. She wasn’t gone. That’s how I went about it.

How much did you rely on Alice Sebold’s book versus the screenplay versus your own interpretation of Susie to create her character?
Well, I actually waited to read the book until after I made the movie. I was thirteen at the time, and I felt like I was just too young to read it. So I waited, and I read the script. Luckily, the script was very well written and it was such a great version for the screen. It was very easy to just go with that really.

Pete, Fran and Phillipa had a very strong vision about what they wanted and I prefer that to someone who just kind of figures it out as they go along. I mean, someone needs to know what we’re going to do. It makes you feel a lot safer.

So you found Peter Jackson to be a very hands-on director?
Yeah. He was also very open to trying things different ways and hearing suggestions. But Pete had a vision, and I like that. That really worked for me.

You work with quite an A-list cast in this film, including Mark Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci and Rachel Weisz. What are some of the more memorable moments of being on set together?
I remember the first day of shooting. The Maoris, who are the natives of New Zealand, actually came on to the set to bless it. They did a haka [tribal dance]. At first, it was quite scary because they’re very passionate. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but it’s pretty intense. It was for all the international people who came over, so me, Rachel, Mark, and Stanley as well. They did it for us and it was so emotional. Then we went around and we did the Maori greeting. That was a really great day.

I remember another day when it was just me. We took a helicopter up into this untouched mountain, valley thing. I don’t even know what you’d call it. It was where the gazebo was with Ray when he’s on the lake. Nobody had ever been there. We went there and we went high up into the mountains. It was beautiful. There were lots of great, great experiences.

Have you received any advice from older actors you’ve worked with that has stuck with you?
Only a few days ago, I was talking to Susan and I must have made a joke and she said, ‘This is a tough business. If you want to stay in this business, you should always be funny.’ Basically, she meant don’t take it all too seriously. Even as Grandma Lynn, her character, says in the film, ‘Just have fun kid.’ It’s really something to go by. If you don’t have fun, what’s that point? I’ve heard that from quite a few people, but when Susan said that it really stuck with me.

When did you first discover your love of acting?
I had worked on a couple of movies and TV shows, just little parts. I really enjoyed it. The third film I did was Atonement, and it was a real challenge. It was a dramatic movie. Briony is the complete opposite of me, of my personality. So, it was a real test for me. Coming out on the other side and loving it even more, I decided then that this was something that I could never give up. That was when I knew that I truly loved it.

Did you find the role of Susie challenging as well, or was she closer to who you are naturally?
I found that I was quite similar to Susie in a lot of ways, because she’s a typical teenage girl. In some ways, that was actually even more difficult to play.

What kind of roles appeal to you as an actor?
It really depends on the situation the character is in. I always like to play a role that hasn’t been done 100 times over. And smart girls, usually not very easy, ditzy characters. I don’t want to play girls like that who really don’t have any depth. I’m not into the whole girl-next-door thing. I wouldn’t mind trying it, but I feel like you get an awful lot more satisfaction out of doing something that’s hard to do, that’s tough, and that you really need to think about and explore.

What did you take away from the process of making this film?
I took away a lot of things. I made some lifelong friends on this film, people who I love, look up to and who I just enjoy their company. I had the most wonderful time in New Zealand. If I didn’t love Ireland so much, I would move to New Zealand. I love it there, I really do.

I think more about the afterlife now, more in a positive light. We had a death in the family last year. I felt like that I had been through that experience. I felt not as guilty, and I felt like it was easier for me to let go. I knew that his energy must be somewhere. Although it was sad, it was okay. And it was okay to not feel devastation.

What do you hope that people who see this film take away from it?
It’s going to take time to let go, and it’s okay. When we did a Q&A and they asked us what we take away from this experience, each one of us gave a different answer. It’s about celebrating life. It’s about accepting death, and eventually learning to let go. Having hope knowing that love will bring you together. Ultimately, this movie is a positive one. It’s not about Susie’s murder. It’s about everything that comes after it, and the journey they take to heal.

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HANGING from a piece of twine around her neck was a small, green painted bone. “I call this my lovely bone,” said Rose McIver, the New Zealand actress who plays Saoirse Ronan’s sister in “The Lovely Bones.”

Ms. McIver, 22, had arrived at the Griffith Observatory here fashionably on time. That evening she would fly to New Zealand. She hoped it would be easier than entering the United States. “My fingerprints didn’t read on the machine because I’d used some really intense bleach at home,” she said. “At least I got the blood out of my carpet.”

The macabre has grown surprisingly commonplace to Ms. McIver and Ms. Ronan, the 15-year-old star of “The Lovely Bones.” Ms. Ronan, whose first name is pronounced “sur-sha,” plays Susie Salmon, the murder, rape and dismemberment victim who narrates the story after her death, from a lovely fantasy world filled with beautiful clouds, mountains and trees.

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She and Ms. McIver developed a fast friendship on the set. As they walked into the observatory, they held hands, leaned into each other and talked. Following them were a publicist for the film, Ms. McIver’s agent, Ms. Ronan’s parents and the girls’ hairdresser (hey, it never hurts to be prepared).

Like a schoolgirl on a field trip, Ms. Ronan stopped at the first exhibit and dutifully read the explanatory plaque. Then, with her cheek resting on her fist, she stared at the pit and the pendulum whose swing would knock down a peg every seven minutes.

Ms. McIver speed-walked through Sun and Stars Paths, Moon Phases, and Day and Night, while Ms. Ronan read all the information panels. In Eclipses, they caught up with each other.

“All right,” Ms. McIver told her friend in her New Zealand accent.

“All right,” Ms. Ronan repeated in her Irish one.

“All right,” Ms. McIver corrected.

If they sounded different, it must have been be akin to those sounds that only dogs can hear. “We’re practicing each other’s accents,” said Ms. Ronan, who was raised in Ireland.

“We look quite similar,” Ms. McIver said, “and eventually we’re going to remake ‘The Parent Trap’ and swap lives.”

They headed outside to look through the telescope. “All I can see is my eyelashes,” Ms. McIver said. Ms. Ronan’s father deposited 50 cents. When Ms. McIver tried again, Ms. Ronan put her hand in front of the lens in the sun and said, “Can you see the stars now?”

Moving into the Café at the End of the Universe for fruit salad and chips, the girls talked about their childhoods.

“When I was younger, I used to collect rocks,” Ms. Ronan said. “What a nerdy thing to do.”

“I used to try to sell rocks,” Ms. McIver said. “I was a poor 7-year-old.”

Ms. Ronan was 13 when she made “The Lovely Bones” and 12 when she made “Atonement,” in which her character witnesses what she believes is a rape.

Both times, Ms. Ronan said, she stayed away from the novels from which the movies were adapted. Only recently did she read “The Lovely Bones,” signed for her by its author, Alice Sebold.

As for “Atonement,” “I read the first page a few years ago and the vocabulary was too advanced for me,” she said. “And now, I just don’t have the time. I only read scripts.”

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Saoirse and Rose guested The Hour today and you can watch the whole episode here. EDIT – Screen caps have been added to the gallery.

Here’s the video of Saoirse’s appearance from Lopez Tonight. She looks gorgeous.