LOS ANGELES — When the thrilling “Hanna” opens on April 8, audiences will see another mesmerizing performance from the soon-to-be-17 Saoirse Ronan. Already hailed for roles in “Atonement” and “The Lovely Bones,” this beautiful young actress exhibits fierce acting talents that give way off-screen to a charming Irish brogue and a smart teen-age sensibility.

Ronan’s skills aren’t lost on director Joe Wright and co-star Eric Bana, who shared details about her during morning interviews at the Four Seasons Hotel here. Meanwhile, Ronan chipped in with insight about her latest film, among other things.

“From the start, when I read the script, I thought it would be fun to play an action heroine,” she says. “That’s kind of what I thought this girl was going to be and not really anything else. I don’t mean that in a bad way; I just mean I thought that would kind of be it, but it turned out she wasn’t that at all.

“Hanna is quite simple in her outlook on life, but she’s also quite a complicated character. She’s been through a lot and she’s dealt with a lot, and she is dealing with a lot on this journey, too. Yet, she doesn’t ‘over-emote’ — ever — if that’s the right word. Naturally, I found her really interesting to play.

“On one hand, she’s so entirely different from me. At the same time, when we actually look at her situation and her journey and what she’s going through, it kind of mirrors what a teen-ager goes through, which is breaking away from the comfort of your family life and discovering the world for yourself.”

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