The ‘Harry Potter’ Role Saoirse Ronan Nearly Played Could’ve Put Her in Hollywood’s Top Ranks Ages Ago

Saoirse Ronan is one of the most talented Irish actors who has made a name for herself in Hollywood without starring in too many big-budget films. She has appeared in several period films and seems to be particularly drawn toward complex and nuanced characters that happen to be very thought-provoking.

With all the success that Ronan has enjoyed in her career, she has also dealt with some failures. These failures have not been in terms of her performance. Instead, these are the roles that she lost out on. One of these roles was that of a beloved young witch in the Harry Potter film franchise, and the Lady Bird actress has not been able to let go of that loss to this day.

Saoirse Ronan Revealed the Harry Potter Character That She Almost Played

Saoirse Ronan began acting professionally when she was 9. She appeared in several TV shows and even made her film debut before making her breakthrough at the age of 12 with the period drama, Atonement. Her performance in the movie earned her nominations for several accolades including an Academy Award, which made her the seventh youngest nominee in the Best Supporting Actress category.

Ronan has always had a knack for playing quirky and complex characters. This requires no proof considering her filmography is as diverse as one could possibly imagine. One quirky character that she missed out on playing was Luna Lovegood, and she addressed this recently.

During her interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live where she was promoting her new indie film The Outrun, the actress reflected on losing the role of Luna.

I had gone up for Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter years ago, ’cause it was like the Irish character, so they got everyone Irish in — like half of Ireland to come and audition — and I knew I wasn’t going to get it ’cause I was too young, but I got to read out a scene that was gonna be in Harry Potter and it was the coolest thing ever.

Fellow actress Evanna Lynch landed the role eventually and starred in four Harry Potter movies, starting with the fifth one. The character Luna was 14 and Lynch was 12 when she auditioned for it, but Ronan was only 9 so it is understandable that she was not cast as the character. Had the Little Women actress been able to play Luna, she would have become a household name much sooner.

Saoirse Ronan Missed Out on Another Role in a Blockbuster Movie Later in Her Career

While Ronan probably never has had a dearth of good roles considering her range, she missed out on another nice opportunity due to scheduling conflicts. This was none other than a cameo in the fantasy comedy film, Barbie, the highest-grossing movie of 2023.

Barbie director Greta Gerwig has been a longtime collaborator of Ronan and Timothée Chalamet. They began working together in 2017 and developed a strong bond. Gerwig planned to cast both of the actors for “specialty cameos” but failed to do so due to scheduling conflicts (via Cinema Blend).

In an interview with Variety, the Blitz actress claimed that she would definitely be ‘Weird Barbie’. When asked what the scene would be, she said:

I can’t even remember now, but it was weird. I think I’d be the strange girl who talked to herself and always had her pet dog with her and always talked to the dog and wouldn’t look at anyone.

That would have definitely been weird and iconic at the same time. Unfortunately, it did not work out for them and Ronan missed out on yet another chance to star in a great movie.