Saoirse Ronan found Paul Weller to be a “truly special person”.
The 30-year-old actress stars opposite the ‘Changingman’ singer in ‘Blitz’, and though playing her dad was the former Jam frontman’s first acting role, the Oscar-nominated star found him very “humble and open to learning”.
She told Britain’s HELLO! Magazine: “Having Paul Weller play my father was surreal.
“Who could ever imagine a rock star like him playing your dad?
“He’s the kindest, most down-to-earth person and he really committed to the role.
“Even though Paul hadn’t acted before, he was so humble and open to learning.
“I absolutely loved spending time with him – he’s truly a special person.”
The 1940s-set drama – which was directed by Sir Steve McQueen - sees Saoirse’s character Rita left devastated when she has to send her nine-year-old son George to the countryside with other young World War II evacuees.
The actress drew on her relationship with her own mother to play the role.
Speaking of her conversations with the director, she said: “We spoke a lot about our own mothers and how much of an impact it had on us, and how formative my relationship was in particular with my mother and that really set the tone for who George and Rita were as a pair…
“It’s exactly in the way a young parent does with their kids, you know?
“I mean, my mam had me when she was 30 so she wasn’t super-young, but there’s an element to our relationship that’s almost like we’re sisters.”
The cast also got the chance to speak to wartime survivors as part of their preparations.
Saoirse said: “We spoke to survivors of the Blitz.
“There’s obviously some sort of trauma happening somewhere in the back of your head but you do just go, ‘OK, this is our reality now.’ ”
