One of the many films to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival was director Kevin Macdonald’s (The Last King of Scotland) How I Live Now.  Based on the Meg Rosoff novel of the same name, the film takes place in the near future and stars Saoirse Ronan as Daisy, a teenage girl from New York City who travels to England in order to spend the summer with relatives.  After she strikes up a romance with a young man (George MacKay), war suddenly breaks out, and Daisy’s small group finds itself struggling to survive in a world full of chaos.  The film also stars Tom Holland and Anna ChancellorHow I Live Now opens in the UK on October 4th and November 8th in America.  Click here to watch the trailer.

While at TIFF I landed an exclusive video interview with Saoirse Ronan.  She talked about premiering at TIFF, how she got cast, working with Kevin Macdonald and his unique camerawork, what she collects, the way she prepares for a role, which of her characters connects the most with her fans, the possibility of her playing a comic book character, and more.  In addition, she also talked about upcoming projects like Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, Ryan Gosling’s How to Catch a Monster, Mary Queen of Scots, how she'd like to do a musical and a silent film, and more.  Hit the jump to watch.

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Saoirse Ronan Time Index:

  • 0:15 – Talks about coming to Toronto International Film Festival and her experience with bringing How I Live Now to it.
  • 1:15 – Gives a synopsis of the film in her own words.
  • 1:45 – Reveals how she got involved with the picture.
  • 3:15 – Talks about the unique camera work of director Kevin Macdonald and director of photography Franz Lustig.
  • 4:30 – Reveals what she used to collect as a child.
  • 6:00 – Talks about how she prepares for her various roles.
  • 7:45 – Talks about the process of learning a new accent for films.
  • 8:30 – Reveals which of her characters connects the most with her fans.
  • 9:20 – Talks about the possibility of her playing a comic book character someday.
  • 10:30 – Comments on women in cinema, both behind and in front of the camera.
  • 11:45 – Teases a bit about Wes Anderson’s  The Grand Budapest Hotel and Ryan Gosling’s How to Catch a Monster.
  • 13:30 – Comments on Gosling’s directing style and how it compares to that of Derek Cianfrance.
  • 14:45 – Reveals that she’d like to do a musical and a silent film in the future.
  • 15:15 – Talks about whether or not she’d consider writing and directing her own films.

how i live now poster