The Outrun Starring Saoirse Ronan: An Opportunity for Her to Break Out of Her ‘Coming-Of-Age’ Shell?

Imagining Adam Sandler playing the lead role in a serious war film does not sit quite right with me. Or Helena Bonham Carter playing an excitable florist in a romcom as opposed to her usual spooky, dark characters. This is because they have fallen into a typecast. This happens when actors or actresses experience repeated success in certain roles or match the appearance of a character type so are therefore only cast within this bracket. It can sometimes limit actors to one genre or prevent them from being considered in award season—with this happening most frequently when actors get pigeonholed as comedic roles. They then have to fight to break out of this and be considered for more serious films: Andy Samberg, who holds typically comedic roles for example, has recently starred in the film Lee, giving an earnest performance as a war photographer.

Not every actor has such a clear typecast though and Saoirse Ronan is one of them. Despite starring in films set in different periods, wearing different costumes, and sporting different accents, she usually sits quite comfortably in the role of a young, snarky, powerful woman on a coming-of-age journey. Outside of her films Foe and See How They Run, in which she does play slightly different roles, she is often seen to embody the character of a young girl, often at war with the world, going through some form of character development. Films such as Ladybird, Little Women, Ammonite, and Mary Queen of Scots demonstrate what could be seen as the “Saoirse Ronan” typecast. Unlike other actors though, she may have just been awarded these roles due to her age rather than it being because she has a specific skillset or previous success in similar roles.

As an actress who began working in her childhood (Atonement), the shift towards artsy coming-of-age films does not feel surprising. She is extremely talented and seems to easily achieve displays of great emotion. Therefore, these roles of overly emotional, outcast characters seem to be her forte. However, in her new film The Outrun, it seems we get a different side of Ronan; potentially an opportunity for her to transition into more adult roles. The Outrun (2024) directed by Nora Fingscheidt follows the story of Rona, age 29, who escapes from her life in London to the beautiful Orkney Islands in the hope of healing while battling with sobriety. It was one of the most beautiful settings of a film that I have seen recently, and the story allowed Ronan to explore a new emotional character range tackling themes of mental health, addiction, and generational trauma. This film allowed her to step outside of her usual younger, more naïve characters and was in my opinion one of Ronan’s most stellar performances. She was absolutely in her element creating the character of Rona in a natural, vulnerable, and striking way.

I would argue though, that comparisons can be drawn still between the character of Rona and her usual typecast. Despite approaching her thirties, it still played out a coming-of-age story (albeit later in life) whereby she tackled similar hurdles with a difficult familial relationship and ideas of unconditional love. The character of Rona was also still a hyper-intelligent, interesting, and lost girl. I could not help but draw great similarities between Ronan’s characters in The Outrun and Ladybird. Both feel lost and confused but also have a defensive reflex towards anyone who tries to help and support them, particularly their families. The relationship between the daughters and their mothers in these two films is strikingly similar. They are set in completely different contexts, periods, and places with Ladybird being much younger than Rona however, the key “Saoirse Ronan” typecast can be felt.

Nevertheless, The Outrun gave Ronan a chance to explore a new spectrum of acting, to graduate to an older character. And while there is an element of typecasting in what she is chosen for, in no way is her career limited by it, if anything she is more likely to be considered for further emotionally complex roles. It seems in this case that her potential typecast is working in her favour rather than hindering her. The Outrun is in cinemas now and definitely worth a watch this autumn.

Words by Niamh Allan