Saoirse Ronan Reveals Why She Lost Out On Luna Lovegood Role In ‘Harry Potter’

As Saoirse Ronan loves to joke, she is really good at losing things.

The four-time Academy Award-nominated actress recently appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to promote her new indie film The Outrun, during which she — among other discussion topics — poked fun at the prevalence with which she has lost out on things, from the coveted Oscars to Kimmel’s own Ladybird swag-box he put together in honor of the film during the 2018 awards show.

However, there is one loss that may sting more than most: not nabbing the role for the eccentric and lovely Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films.

“There’s things that you’ll pass on and then they come out, and you think, ‘Oh God, that was a misstep on my part,'” Ronan explained, “but I think the one that stayed with me over the years — I didn’t say no to it, I just didn’t get the part. I lost, again. It’s a running theme for me.”

She continued, eliciting some shocked reactions from the audience, “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.”

As fans will remember, Lovegood is a beloved character within the Wizarding World, eventually becoming a formidable member of Dumbledore’s Army. A deeply spiritual, quirky and prescient character, she is portrayed by Evanna Lynch beginning with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix until the franchise’s conclusion with Deathy Hallows: Part 2. Per J.K. Rowling’s books, Lovegood was first introduced as a 14-year-old, and Lynch was around 12 during filming of the 2003 fantasy pic. Meanwhile, Ronan was 9 at the time.

Earlier in the program, the Little Women star discussed not being able to join frequent collaborator and filmmaker Greta Gerwig’s ensemble in Barbie, where she was set to portray a Weird Barbie alongside Kate McKinnon, due to scheduling conflicts with The Outrun.

With The Outrun, Ronan is already drumming up Oscar buzz. The film, based on the memoir of the same name from Amy Liptrot, follows a woman’s journey toward sobriety from alcohol addiction, as she moves from London to the remote Scottish cloister of Orkney Islands.