PARIS: Saoirse Ronan is not like other Hollywood stars.
Spread out on a sofa in a luxury Paris hotel in a “Mary Magdalene, sorry Maggie Marilyn” pyjama suit looking like a vamp from “The Great Gatsby,” she is joking about her bad skin.
The sideburns of acne she has in “Lady Bird,” the acclaimed coming-of-age movie that has won her a third Oscar nomination at the age of 23, were very much her own, she laughed.
“No, they were real!” she told AFP. “I had a bad skin at the time so we just didn’t cover it up.
“Weirdly I never got bad skin as a teenager at all,” said the Irish actress, who was first nominated for an Academy Award when she was only 13 for “Atonement.”
“It was only when I was 21 or 22 when I was doing loads of press that I got it. So, it was you that did it,” she laughed.
Ronan is often talked about as one of the most talented actors of her generation — she won a best actress Golden Globe last month for “Lady Bird,” her “sensational” portrayal of a Sacramento teenager in the last year of high school whose lofty ambitions are often at odds with reality and her family’s precarious finances.
She is also one of the most down-to-earth, seemingly unphased by having grown up in front of the camera as a child actor from the age of eight.
“My Mam came away with me on every job till I was 18, and my Dad is an actor, so they understood the pitfalls.”
Even so, “going through puberty on screen can very easily be terrifying. You are so aware of what you look like, and to have a lens pointed at your face,” she told AFP as she promoted “Lady Bird” in the French capital.
“So you have to have the attitude that it is more important to get what you are doing right than worry whether you look pretty.”
Doing good work has been Ronan’s watchword since she was very young, carefully choosing quality films rather than playing the fame game.
“I was offered an action film at the same time as ‘Atonement’ (when she was 12) but I knew even then that was not the direction I wanted to go in,” she said.
She was a more obvious choice to play an Irish immigrant in “Brooklyn,” and Ronan insisted that hooking up with indie star Greta Gerwig for her directorial debut on “Lady Bird” was also a “no-brainer.”
“When you read a script where one of the introductory scenes is someone arguing with their mother and jumping out of a car it is a massive selling point. With Greta I knew it would be smart, interesting and funny,” she said.
Gerwig, who made her name both writing and starring in “Frances Ha” and “Mistress America” with director Noah Baumbach, said it was a marriage made in heaven.
Even though the film is semi-autobiographical, Gerwig said she didn’t really “understand the character until (Ronan) started saying the lines... she is this flawed but amazing heroine.”
And for her part, Ronan said she cried when Gerwig was nominated for an Oscar. Incredibly it was only the fifth time that a woman had been nominated for best director.
“She deserves it so much. It was a really momentous thing for the times we are in to have at least one woman nominated and completely deservedly. That means a lot to all of us,” said Ronan.
In terms of empowerment, “getting to play a confident teenage girl” also mattered hugely, she said.
“It’s so rare to see a teenage girl just own it in a film — someone who just goes for it and isn’t afraid to fall on their face. There is a strength and a bravery you can catch from that person.”
Ronan is acutely conscious that “Lady Bird” has already become a key cultural reference for many teenage girls.
“She is quite outspoken which I am too. She is trying to find her people and her places. When I was around 18 I knew (like her that) I needed to get out and find who I was.
“Like Greta and Lady Bird I wanted to go to New York. I was only there eight months but it was enough to say, ‘I’ve found myself!’” she laughed.
As for finally lifting an Oscar next month at the third attempt, Ronan insists that she “hasn’t thought about winning. When you win you have to do all the press afterwards, and you don’t get a chance to have a dance. So it is also quite nice losing because you can enjoy the night.”
Saoirse Ronan, Oscar veteran at 23, laughs off her chances
Saoirse Ronan, Oscar veteran at 23, laughs off her chances
From historic desert landscapes to sound stages: AlUla’s bid to become the region’s film capital
DUBAI: AlUla is positioning itself as the center of cinema for the MENA region, turning its dramatic desert landscapes, heritage sites and newly built studio infrastructure into jobs, tourism and long‑term economic opportunity.
In a wide‑ranging interview, Zaid Shaker, executive director of Film AlUla, and Philip J. Jones, chief tourism officer for the Royal Commission for AlUla, laid out an ambitious plan to train local talent, attract a diverse slate of productions and use film as a catalyst for year‑round tourism.
“We are building something that is both cultural and economic,” said Shaker. “Film AlUla is not just about hosting productions. It’s about creating an entire ecosystem where local people can come into sustained careers. We invested heavily in facilities and training because we want AlUla to be a place where filmmakers can find everything they need — technical skill, production infrastructure and a landscape that offers limitless variety. When a director sees a location and says, ‘I can shoot five different looks in 20 minutes,’ that changes the calculus for choosing a destination.”
At the core of the strategy are state‑of‑the‑art studios operated in partnership with the MBS Group, which comprises Manhattan Beach Studios — home to James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequels. “We have created the infrastructure to compete regionally and internationally,” said Jones. “Combine those studios with AlUla’s natural settings and you get a proposition that’s extremely attractive to producers; controlled environment and unmatched exterior vistas within a short drive. That versatility is a real selling point. We’re not a one‑note destination.”
The slate’s flagship project, the romantic comedy “Chasing Red,” was chosen deliberately to showcase that range. “After a number of war films and heavy dramas shot here, we wanted a rom‑com to demonstrate the breadth of what AlUla offers,” said Shaker. “‘Chasing Red’ uses both our studio resources and multiple on‑location settings. It’s a story that could have been shot anywhere — but by choosing AlUla we’re showing how a comical, intimate genre can also be elevated by our horizons, our textures, our light.
“This film is also our first under a broader slate contract — so it’s a proof point. If ‘Chasing Red’ succeeds, it opens the door for very different kinds of storytelling to come here.”
Training and workforce development are central pillars of the program. Film AlUla has engaged more than 180 young Saudis in training since the start of the year, with 50 already slated to join ongoing productions. “We’re building from the bottom up,” said Shaker. “We start with production assistant training because that’s often how careers begin. From there we provide camera, lighting, rigging and data-wrangling instruction, and we’ve even launched soft‑skill offerings like film appreciation— courses that teach critique, composition and the difference between art cinema and commercial cinema. That combination of technical and intellectual training changes behavior and opens up real career pathways.”
Jones emphasized the practical benefits of a trained local workforce. “One of the smartest strategies for attracting productions is cost efficiency,” he said. “If a production can hire local, trained production assistants and extras instead of flying in scores of entry‑level staff, that’s a major saving. It’s a competitive advantage. We’ve already seen results: AlUla hosted 85 productions this year, well above our initial target. That momentum is what we now aim to convert into long‑term growth.”
Gender inclusion has been a standout outcome. “Female participation in our training programs is north of 55 percent,” said Shaker. “That’s huge. It’s not only socially transformative, giving young Saudi women opportunities in an industry that’s historically male-dominated, but it’s also shaping the industry culture here. Women are showing up, learning, and stepping into roles on set.”
Looking to 2026, their targets are aggressive; convert the production pipeline into five to six feature films and exceed 100 total productions across film, commercials and other projects. “We want private-sector partners to invest in more sound stages so multiple productions can run concurrently,” said Jones. “That’s how you become a regional hub.”
The tourism case is both immediate and aspirational. “In the short term, productions bring crews who fill hotels, eat in restaurants and hire local tradespeople,” said Shaker. “In the long term, films act as postcards — cinematic invitations that make people want to experience a place in person.”
Jones echoed that vision: “A successful film industry here doesn’t just create jobs; it broadcasts AlUla’s beauty and builds global awareness. That multiplies the tourism impact.”
As “Chasing Red” moves into production, Shaker and Jones believe AlUla can move from an emerging production destination to the region’s filmmaking epicenter. “We’re planting seeds for a cultural sector that will bear economic fruit for decades,” said Shaker. “If we get the talent, the infrastructure and the stories right, the world will come to AlUla to film. And to visit.”
