Saoirse Ronan says new war film ‘Blitz’ is ‘incredibly relevant’ amid current global conflicts

Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan star in Steve McQueen’s WW2 film “Blitz.”

Saoirse Ronan has said that shooting the film “Blitz,” which takes place in war-torn Britain in the 1940s, felt “incredibly relevant” against the backdrop of conflicts around the world.

The Irish actor leads the cast of the new Steve McQueen film, which premiered at the London Film Festival on October 9.

Speaking at a press conference attended by B-17 this week, Ronan said she found it difficult to “escape” from the story in light of current global conflicts.

Filming took place in late 2022 and early 2023, during the first year of the Russia-Ukraine war.

“It was the first time I’d ever had the experience on a project where there wasn’t really an escape from it,” she said.

“I think the thing that made this so real as a filming experience is that you’d shoot certain scenes where there’s total chaos and pandemonium, and we’re having to portray characters in abject fear and horror,” she continued. “And then you’d leave set, turn on the radio, and you’d hear exactly the same thing, or put on the news and see exactly the same thing.”

Stephen Graham, Steve McQueen, Saoirse Ronan, Elliott Heffernan, and Paul Weller attend the “Blitz” world premiere on October 9.

“I don’t know if it’s insensitive to say that I was grateful for it, but it gave you so much motivation to continue on with the picture because it does feel incredibly relevant,” she added. “It made it incredibly real.”

The cast of “Blitz” also includes Harris Dickinson, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Kathy Burke, and Benjamin Clementine. The film chronicles the lives of civilians during a sustained and intense Nazi bombing campaign during World War II known as the Blitz.

The story largely centers on the experience of a nine-year-old child, George (played by newcomer Elliott Heffernan), who is evacuated to the countryside for his safety, leaving his mother, Rita (Ronan), behind.

McQueen said at the press conference that he was inspired to write and direct “Blitz” after he came across a photo from the 1940s showing a young Black boy with a suitcase at a railway station while doing research for his previous project, “Small Axe.”

“I thought, who is that child? I want to see the war through his eyes,” McQueen said.

“Blitz” is set to be released in theaters on November 1 ahead of its streaming debut on Apple TV+ on November 22.