Teenage Irish actress Saoirse Ronan is making a big name for herself in Hollywood.

In the process, she’s also being swept into the rumour mill, which includes the one that had her playing Snow White opposite Julia Roberts’s evil queen. That turned out not to be true.

But the 16-year-old is close to signing to play Itaril in the two-part Peter Jackson Hobbit movie. That means she’ll reunite with her Lovely Bones director to play the slinky elf dedicated to protecting the Elf King of Mirkwood.

That’s show business, as the Oscar-nominated actress is slowly finding out.

“Plenty of rumours going around,” says the smiling Ronan at a Beverly Hills hotel. “I love the rumours.”

Gossip aside, the actress also reunites with Atonement director Joe Wright for her first action film, Hanna, which opens Friday.

In the movie, she plays the title character, a teen who has been raised in an isolated part of Finland by her ex-CIA agent father (Eric Bana) to become a lethal assassin.

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When her father sends her out on a dangerous mission to eliminate a ruthless operative (Cate Blanchett), Hanna must face off with a series of highly trained killers, and face up to some unexpected questions about who she is and what she has become.

“Hanna’s very layered, yet quite simple in her outlook on life, but quite a complicated character to play,” says Ronan. “She’s been through a lot, and she’s had to deal with a lot, yet she doesn’t over-emote, ever.”

In a way, “her journey kind of mirrors what a teenager goes through, as well, which is breaking away from the comfort of your family life, and your parents, and discovering the world for yourself.”

Certainly, Ronan discovered a few things about her own potential, while preparing for the role.

Before filming started, she trained for a couple of months in L. A., then outside Dublin, where she lives with her parents. Two hours a day of martial-arts workouts were followed by another two hours of cardio training.

“And we did stick-fighting, which I loved to do, although I’ve heard it is quite a complicated thing.”

As far as Ronan is concerned, the effort paid off in a convincing way.

“Well, Hanna’s certainly about women’s empowerment,” says the actress. “Throughout her journey, I don’t really think that Hanna changes that much. But she realizes that the world is not a fairy tale. It’s tough. And it’s ugly, in some ways.”

Indeed, Ronan doesn’t seem like a first choice for a part in an action flick, but Wright knew her range after working with her as an inexperienced but naturally gifted 12-year-old performer on Atonement.

“Joe had, and has, a belief in me, which I can really feel when I work with him,” maintains Ronan. “And that’s fantastic to know — that your director truly believes you can do what you’re attempting.”

She began acting as adolescent, first in an Irish TV public-service spot and then in shows, The Clinic and Proof.

A few years later, it was her riveting portrayal in Wright’s Atonement that earned her a supporting actress Oscar nomination and a bright future, as she held her own against Keira Knightley and James McAvoy in the picture.

In 2008, Ronan was featured in Death Defying Acts opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones and City of Ember. Both movies received mediocre reviews and fizzled at the box office. She rebounded with her starring role in the 2009 Jackson film version of Alice Sebold’s bestselling novel, The Lovely Bones.

And yes, she’s looking forward to a potential reunion with Jackson if she returns to New Zealand for The Hobbit. It will be released in two parts in 2012 and 2013.

“I know they are introducing lots of new characters into the film that aren’t in the book,” Ronan says, referring to the J.R.R. Tolkien novel.

It’s always a good sign when a director rehires an actor for a job, but it’s Ronan who says she feels like the fortunate one.

“I feel very, very lucky,” she confesses. “I really do. I think it’s amazing that there are brilliant directors out there who want me. I even get shocked when they know who I am.”

All things considered, she’s making a smooth transition from adolescent to young adult.

“Well, I don’t feel like I’m a woman. Definitely not. But I do feel like I’m a full-on teenager now. I’m not 14 anymore. No messing around. ”

And no, she won’t be moving from her country home near Dublin to Los Angeles anytime soon.

“I’m back and forth,” she says. “It varies, to be honest.”

Either way, she’s home-schooled, so she’s flexible, and is thrilled to be at her family’s country house, or on set, or promoting her latest film.

“I mean, I’m just a happy person, most of the time,” Ronan says. “And I have a great family. My mom and dad travel around with me, and they’re both parts of my life that I enjoy.”

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