Saoirse Ronan Submits ‘Blitz’ for Oscars Supporting Actress

Saoirse Ronan is gearing up for a fierce Oscar season, with two performances poised to battle for the industry’s top honors.

Variety confirms Ronan will compete in both the lead actress race for the Sundance hit “The Outrun” and supporting actress for her upcoming work in the World War II epic “Blitz” — potentially setting her up as a double acting nominee this awards season. If double-nominated, which is currently projected on Variety Awards Circuit’s predictions, she would be the 13th person and youngest actor to receive two acting nominations in the same year. Seven of the 12 previous actors went on to win for one of their nominated works (Fay Bainter, Teresa Wright, Barry Fitzgerald, Jessica Lange, Al Pacino, Holly Hunter and Jamie Foxx).

Read: You can see all Academy Award predictions in all 23 categories on one page on the Variety Awards Circuit: Oscars.

In “Blitz,” which is set to debut as the opening film at the BFI London Film Festival, Ronan plays Rita, a mother desperate to reunite with her 9-year-old son George, played by newcomer Elliott Heffernan, after sending him to the countryside for safety. The film, written, directed, and co-produced by McQueen, also stars Harris Dickinson, Stephen Graham, and Kathy Burke.

Conversely, in “The Outrun,” Ronan tackles the emotionally charged role of Rona, a former addict seeking recovery and healing in the remote Orkney Islands. Co-written by Fingscheidt and Amy Liptrot, the drama is based on Liptrot’s memoir. The supporting cast features Paapa Essiedu and Stephen Dillane. Adding to the behind-the-scenes intrigue, Ronan produces the film alongside her husband, Jack Lowden, Sarah Brocklehurst, and Dominic Norris. Three women have won best actress for movies they also produced — Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”), Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”) and Emma Stone (“Poor Things”).

At 30 years old, Ronan is already being dubbed “overdue” for Oscar gold after amassing four previous nominations for her standout roles in “Atonement” (2007), “Brooklyn” (2015), “Lady Bird” (2017), and “Little Women” (2019). Should she secure nominations for both “Blitz” and “The Outrun,” Ronan will eclipse Kate Winslet’s record of becoming the youngest actor to receive five (or six) nominations, a feat Winslet achieved at 31 and 34 with 2006’s “Little Children” and 2008’s “The Reader.”

A double nom could also echo Winslet’s 2008 Oscar campaign when she was on track for two nods for “Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader” before the Academy ultimately moved her work for the latter film to lead after sweeping the supporting categories at the Golden Globes, SAG, and Critics Choice Awards. Per Academy rules, an actor cannot be double nominated in the same category, and the Actors Branch can vote for a performer in either lead or supporting.

As the season ramps up, all eyes will be on Ronan. Will she be the latest actor to pull off the coveted double nomination? With two dynamic performances in vastly different films, this may be the year she finally brings home the gold.

Sony Pictures Classics will release “The Outrun” theatrically on Oct. 4. “Blitz” will debut in select theaters on Nov. 1 before streaming globally on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22.