Greta Gerwig's directorial debut Lady Bird is gathering plenty of Oscar buzz (the film is nominated for five awards this year) but it could have never earned such accolades without pairing Gerwig's script and directing style with dynamic star Saoirse Ronan. Gerwig and her leading lady did more than just create one of the most well-reviewed films on Rotten Tomatoes: They also formed a supportive, genuine friendship. According to Ronan's new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the chemistry between these two women was obvious from their very first Skype call.
Lady Bird is more mother-daughter story than rom-com, but Ronan described her first interactions with Gerwig to The Hollywood Reporter as if it was a straight-up meet-cute.
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"We had Skyped beforehand, and we just got so giddy with each other. We were like giggly 16-year-olds on the phone. Then, when we saw each other for the first time, it was exactly the same thing. She was doing 20th Century Women, and I was in Toronto [premiering Brooklyn], and she flew in to see me," Ronan told THR. "It was late at night, and I was nervous because ... it was her!"
One thing that kept these two connected? Their shared love of Jagged Little Pill. Ronan explained to THR:
"[Greta] played all ’90s and early millennial stuff — Justin Timberlake, Alanis Morissette. That was another really great bonding thing."
Ronan's experience with Lady Bird didn't just score her an awesome friend, but a directing mentor as well.
"I had always wanted to try my hand at directing, but it's only since I've seen you do all of this, and talk about the movie you made, and all the work you put into it, that I had this epiphany," the Lady Bird star explained to Gerwig during their joint interview on the New York Times' TimesTalks series. "[It was] 'Oh, maybe I can be a great director, too.'"
Now we just have to wait to see how these two thank one another in their Oscar acceptance speeches.
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