Saoirse Ronan says casting competition used to be 'savage'

Saoirse Ronan thinks the movie business used to be "savage" for female stars.

The 25-year-old actress thinks the film industry currently finds itself in the midst of a cultural change, citing her latest movie, 'Little Women' - which also stars the likes of Emma Watson and Florence Pugh - as evidence of the evolution.

Speaking to the BBC, Saoirse explained: "It's only over the last four years or so we've actually started to see like an ensemble cast filled with women that all have equally interesting, important roles in the same project.

"And what that's done already is it's just eliminated some of that competition and that sort of savagery that we're made to feel when there's one female role a year that everybody wanted.

"That's only changed in the last few years. And it's amazing how suddenly there's just a platform for you to allow support to be a part of your work."

Meanwhile, Saoirse previously admitted that fame can be "distracting".

The acclaimed actress - who starred in 2017's 'Lady Bird' - stressed her determination to stay grounded, saying she doesn't want fame to distract her from her work.

She shared: "I can see how it can be distracting, especially when you do get a bit more recognisable, and maybe you're sort of in the public eye a little bit more and stuff.

"But if you're aware of why it is you're doing this - it should be because you love it - it keeps you quite level-headed."