Steve McQueen on Casting Saoirse Ronan in ‘Blitz’ and Why Cinema ‘Is the Best Medium in the World’

variety.com:

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor When Steve McQueen was casting “Blitz,” his World War II drama about the bombings over London, actress Saoirse Ronan expressed interest.

But there was a hitch. The role of a mother in search of her young son who has gone missing required some singing. So he hopped on a Zoom with Ronan, and they had a deep conversation about their mothers. “It was beautiful,” McQueen tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast.

But then it came time for that make-or-break question about whether she could carry a tune. Ronan said she could, and even started working with a singing coach. “I never forget the phone call I got back from the singing coach after a few sessions,” McQueen says, remembering how he braced for that report.

The coach returned with good news: “‘Not only can she sing like a bird, it will only get better,'” McQueen recalls hearing back.