Saoirse Ronan Opens Up About Hollywood Predators

The very foundations of the entertainment industry have been shook in recent weeks, after allegations of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein opened the floodgates and exposed a culture of sexual predation.

Stories began to emerge involving numerous well-known stars including Kevin Spacey and comedian Louis CK, prompting some of the biggest names in the industry to speak out against the "history of abuse".

One such star is Carlow-native Saoirse Rónan, who addressed the issue this week, revealing that she was "protected" from what has surfaced in the press in the last month by her parents.

The 23-year-old was taking part in the THR annual Actress Roundtable discussion with some of the world’s top actresses including Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain and Emma Stone, and opened up about her experience, saying:

“I was very lucky that I was protected from a lot of that.

“I never was really exposed to what went on at parties, I was never left on my own with anyone. My mom and dad were always around.

“The really disappointing thing about all this is that (journalists and others in Hollywood) had all of this s--t on all of these men and women for the last few years, but they hadn't done anything with it. It's just been swept under the carpet".

On the same topic, Jessica Chastain added:

“I hope the entertainment industry will never be the same.

“There is a history of abuse against women in our industry, and it's never been addressed.

“I'm devastated by all the stories that have come out because it's heartbreaking, but at the same time I feel hopeful because we're not ignoring it anymore”.