Saoirse Ronan 'sad he wasn't going to be around' after Ryan Gosling pulls out of iconic movie(Image: Getty Images North America)

Saoirse Ronan admits she was 'sad' after Ryan Gosling pulled out of iconic movie

Ryan Gosling was originally cast as the father of Saoirse Ronan's character in the 2009 movie The Lovely Bones, but he departed the project and was replaced by Mark Wahlberg

11 Oct 2024, 09:14 by Zara Woodcock · Irish Mirror

Saoirse Ronan has opened up about feeling "sad" over Hollywood hunk Ryan Gosling's departure from the 2009 film The Lovely Bones. Initially set to portray Jack Salmon, father to Ronan's character Susie Salmon, Gosling walked away due to discrepancies in creative vision.

Chatting on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the Barbie star reminisced: "I just loved Ryan. And his dog, George." She admitted her sorrow at his absence from the project, noting: "I was just sad that he wasn't gonna be around." However, she expressed understanding for the departure saying, "But I think the reasons why they parted were totally valid."

Despite the shake-up, Ronan remains positive, stating, "I have spoken to both now, and I complete - it happens, you know what I mean? It's not personal, necessarily; it's just sometimes you're not on the same page."

The role of Jack Salmon eventually fell into Mark Wahlberg's lap, a choice Ronan backs due to his life experience as a dad, "Mark was able to step in, and he was a father."

She was said he pulled out of The Lovely Bones(Image: PA)

She added: "He was a father to, like, I don't know, three kids? He probably had an experience of that that Ryan felt he didn't." Saoirse Ronan did, however, circle back to collaborate with Gosling in his directorial endeavour Lost River, which she describes as a "great" spell. Reflecting on their reunion, she added: "Ryan was like 27. He was young. It was great then to work with him later."

Her admiration for Gosling is evident as she concludes, "He's just, like, the same. He doesn't change." Lost River boasted a cast including Christina Hendricks, Matt Smith, Eva Mendes, and Barbara Steele, in a tale of a mother dragged into a grim underbelly.

It comes after Saoirse revealed she auditioned for Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter while chatting on Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy asked her if there were any roles in the past that she still wishes she had got, or not passed on, to this day. Saoirse said there are sometimes roles she's passed on and then when the film has come out, she wished she had been in it.

She said that she didn't get the part of Luna Lovegood. Saoirse added: "I had gone up for Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter years ago, because it was the Irish character... I knew I wasn't going to get it because I was too young but I got to read out a scene that was going to be in Harry Potter and it was the coolest thing ever."

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