Saoirse Ronan: How Do You Pronounce Her Name? Dennis Quaid Doesn’t Know [Video]


Saoirse Ronan is doing very well in her career these days, even if Dennis Quaid can’t pronounce her name properly. The Hollywood Reporter explains that while announcing the nominees for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama, he pronounced Ronan’s name “Sheesha.” It was quite obvious he was uncertain of how to pronounce the name.

Quaid did receive some criticism for the mispronunciation, but to be fair, it’s a pretty difficult name to decipher.

The Independent reported recently that Saoirse Ronan is happy that, at least in general, people can finally pronounce her name.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be a working actor for almost 10 years and the mere fact that people can finally pronounce my name is pretty exciting!”

Nevertheless, Saoirse Ronan secured her nomination for her role in Brooklyn, along with others in the top of her field. In fact, the Wall Street Journal reports that she found out about her nomination while getting her nails done. She was trying to avoid a call from her publicist but had to answer in the end.

“So I answered: ‘I can’t talk to you right now! I’m getting my nails done!’ Then, my publicist was like, ‘Well, you just got nominated for a Globe, so you have to talk to us!’ I kind of squealed.”

She said finding out about her nomination in the nail salon was quite a way to find out the big news.

“I’m in Dublin. Tropical Popical is the nail salon I go to. Painted palm trees on the wall, and pink flamingos everywhere. It’s quite a way to find out you’ve been nominated. And I’ve gotten gold painted on my nails. I’ve got golden nails right now.”

In her interview with the Wall Street Journal, Saoirse Ronan revealed that being nominated a second time was completely different than the first time it happened.

“It’s completely different. It really is. I don’t think I was really aware of everything that goes into it. I guess, supporting the film in this way, when you get to this stage with the film being released, I wasn’t really involved in any of that with Atonement. I was much younger, and I was away at work in New Zealand at the time. Also, I don’t think I really appreciated what it means.”

It appears that Saoirse Ronan may also receive an Academy Awards nod for her performance in Brooklyn. The Independent reports that she has received a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award, which is a precursor to nominations for the Academy Awards.

Aside from her performances on the big screen, Saoirse Ronan is also finding her way to Broadway. Entertainment Weekly reports that Ronan will make her stage debut in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. In this Salem witch drama, Ronan will play the part of Abigail Williams, and it opens at the Walter Kerr Theatre for previews on February 29, 2016. Opening night is April 7.

Miss Ronan is a busy lady, indeed! As for the mispronunciation of her name, Saoirse Ronan once spoke with James Corden on The Late Late Show about how often her name is pronounced incorrectly. Perhaps Dennis Quaid’s “Sheesha” has now topped the list as the worst pronunciation ever.

One thing is for certain: With her growing fame on the world acting stage and in Hollywood, there will soon be few people, if any, who don’t know how to pronounce her name properly. It’s a safe bet that Dennis Quaid knows the correct pronunciation now.

[Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images]

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