Saoirse Ronan has said that her husband, fellow actor Jack Lowden, "had an ear out" for her accent in her latest role as a recovering alcohol who tries to piece her life together in the Orkneys.
Based on the best-selling memoir of the same name by Amy Liptrot, The Outrun tells the story of Rona, a young woman who returns to the Orkney Islands after ten years of partying in London and a spell in rehab for alcoholism.
30-year-old Ronan married England is Mine, Slow Horses and Dunkirk star Lowden (34) in a private ceremony last July in Edinburgh and as a Scotsman, he offered his wife advice on how to tackle the accent.
"There’s been one other movie made in Orkney, I think, so that Orcadian accent, which is very distinct, hasn’t really been re-created before.
"Apart from Lauren Lyle, who is in the film, I don’t know who can do it justice," she added. "So, I did a much milder, watered down version, which is more similar to Amy Liptrot’s accent in real life. But Jack always had an ear out for it."
Ronan makes her debut as a producer on The Outrun and Lowden was also a co-producer.
Asked why she was so passionate about bringing Liptrot’s book to the screen, she said, "There were a few reasons. We’re very passionate about Scotland, we’re very passionate about Scottish and Irish stories and I hadn’t necessarily wanted to produce before but when I read Amy’s book, it felt like something incredibly personal to me.
"So, I wanted to be able to shape it creatively and help give it the life I thought it deserved. I’m kind of at the point now as an actor that I’ve done it for so long I needed more responsibly so this movie was going to give me that."
Nature and wildlife play a major role in the movie and often become allegorical to Rona’s charged emotions as she comes to terms with her new life in the isolated Orkneys.
Her hedonistic days in London, which see Rona’s alcoholism spin out of control, are told in flashback and they are in sharp contrast to her search for solace as she tries to stumble out of the wreckage.
Speaking about how she got into the headspace to play the role, Ronan says, "You’ll draw from your own life, you’ll draw from your own experience and the experiences of loved ones who have gone through something similar.
"To get into that headspace, sometimes it’s music, sometimes it’s what the other actors are doing and you feed off of that. I think you have to leave yourself open to be being affected by everything."
Having made her debut as a producer with The Outrun, could directing be next for Saoirse Ronan?
"I would love it to be. I’ve always said that it’s something I would like to explore. Yeah, so maybe, we’ll see."
The movie has already been acclaimed by critics and Ronan is once again being tipped for an Oscar nomination for her role as Rona.
However, she is not quite ready for Oscar buzz. "We don’t know how far it will get," she says. "But I am very excited about where the movie is now and the response it's had. The fact that it’s been talked about in that way is great."
The Outrun is in cinemas on 27 September
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