There ‘Wasn’t Really an Escape’ From ‘Blitz’ Filming

Saoirse Ronan discussed the relevance of Steve McQueen‘s WWII drama “Blitz” amid escalating global conflict during the film’s press conference at the BFI London Film Festival, saying that it was her first time not being able to “escape” from a project.

“The thing that made this so real as a filming experience is that you’d shoot certain scenes where there’s total chaos and pandemonium and we’re having to portray characters in abject fear and horror, and then you would leave set and you’d turn on the radio and you’d hear exactly the same thing, and you’d put on the news and you’d see exactly the same thing,” she said. “It was the first time I’d ever had an experience on a project where there wasn’t really an escape from it.”

Ronan added that she was “grateful” for the experience, though she wasn’t sure if that was “insensitive to say.”

“I think it gave you so much motivation to continue on with the picture because, again I hate to say ‘relevant,’ but it does feel incredibly relevant,” she said. “For some reason we still haven’t been able to break this cycle. So yeah, it made it incredibly real.”

Ronan stars in the historical drama as Rita, a distraught mother who frantically searches for her 9-year-old son George (newcomer Elliott Heffernan) after sending him away from London to the countryside during the Blitz. The cast also includes Harris Dickinson, Erin Kellyman, Stephen Graham, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Leigh Gill and Benjamin Clementine.

McQueen wrote, directed and produced “Blitz,” which marks his first feature film since 2018’s “Widows.” The British filmmaker is best known for directing the 2014 film “12 Years a Slave,” which won the Academy Award for best picture and also earned him a directing nomination.

“Blitz” world premieres on Wednesday as the opening night gala of this year’s BFI London Film Festival. In a statement announcing its premiere at the festival, McQueen said: “‘Blitz’ is a movie about Londoners. It honors the spirit of what and how Londoners endured during the Blitz, but also explores the true representation of people in London, while at its core is the story of a working-class family desperate to be reunited during times of war.”

The film will debut in select theaters on Nov. 1 before streaming globally on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22.