The Independent interviewed Paul Ronan, Saoirse Ronan’s (Melanie) father yesterday about his role as a manager for his daughter, who turns 18 on April 12 and recently won Best Actress at the IFTAS for ‘Hanna’. He speaks here about reading the scripts before she is allowed to as a way to protect her, not only as her manager, but as her father.
“Because Saoirse is close to 18 now, directors have suddenly started to send her more adult scripts. But some of them are just too inappropriate.
“I was sent one recently, which not only had scenes I wouldn’t let Saoirse do, it was so bad I wouldn’t even let her read the script.”
He commented on how this script was even more surprising because it was a director who Ronan has worked with before. He went on to say,
“I rang the director and said forget it. The script was amazing — but there are more important things than scripts. You’ve got to raise a child as well…
“As parents, we have to watch out for Saoirse. Things happen in their own good time. We didn’t want to rush anything by making the wrong choice, no matter how good a script or movie might be. In a few years’ time, Saoirse might say, I would love to do this script, but definitely not now.”
I think this is such a great thing. When you look at what has happened to so many of the U.S.’s child-actors and how often parents use their children in show business as a meal ticket, I find it refreshing to see a parent who takes his job seriously and looks out for the well-being of his daughter first and foremost. American parents could take a lesson from Mr. and Mrs. Ronan.
