Irish actress Saoirse Ronan has cemented her reputation as one of Hollywood's hottest properties after making the cover of TIME magazine.
The Brooklyn star is one of ten young people from around the world selected as 'Next Generation Leaders' - but she is the only one of them who has made the cover of the iconic publication.
The New York-born actress - who was raised in County Carlow and who has dual Irish and US citizenship - has become one of the world's most in-demand actors since landing a Best Supporting Actress nomination in 2007 picture, Atonement.
But the modest 22-year-old, who won her second Academy nomination for her lead role in Brooklyn, admitted that luck has played a big part in her already glittering career - including her breakthrough role as Briony in Atonement Opposite English actress, Keira Knightley.
She said: "Briony was supposed to be this brown-haired, brown-eyed, middle-class English girl - she was supposed to look like she was related to Keira [Knightley]. But this dialect coach suggested me, even though I was completely wrong for it.
"It's funny, because you can work as hard as possible, but if you don't have a bit of luck and someone who puts your name forward, you may not get anywhere."
Read more: Saoirse Ronan and Ciaran Hinds conquer Broadway in “The Crucible”
Manhattan-based Ronan also paid tribute to her parents Paul and Monica Ronan for keeping her grounded, noting that she witnessed first-hand from her actor father how difficult it can be to land enough roles to pay the bills.
She said: "Ma watched Dad lose out on parts or star in shows off Broadway and make buttons. She watched these really talented people never get the shot they deserved. So they prepared me to be realistic.
"And that's good, because the moment fame becomes a priority, you should give it up."
Speaking of her own motivation, Ronan stresses that she is drawn to "strong and intelligent" movie roles - and insists fellow actors should consider quitting if fame and fortune are their primary ambitions.
The talented actress, who is currently receiving rave reviews for the latest Broadway adaptation of Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible', added: "It's important for me to play intelligent women, because I think in art, you have a responsibility to portray real life.
"It's even more important now that there's such a massive shift towards feminism that men and women see strong, complex women onscreen.
"I'm not being big-headed, but I'm not a dummy. So I don't want to play someone who's a dummy onscreen. It's just boring."
The Irish Times notes that Ronan follows in the footsteps of U2 and Enda Kenny in appearing on the cover of TIME.
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