Saoirse Ronan hopes her new film ‘gets people talking about sex’

Saoirse Ronan hopes her new film will get young people talking openly about sex.

The Irish actress is starring in the film adaptation of Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach - a movie about the communication struggles between a newly married couple in the 1960s. It's been 10 years since Ronan made her McEwan debut in the critically acclaimed adaptation of his novel, Atonement. She was just 12-years-old at the time. Speaking at the premiere of On Chesil Beach at the BFI London last night, Ronan said that she hopes the film gets young people talking openly about sex "and not have it be a taboo thing or something they should be ashamed of."

"They can let it be something that can be shared between two people and be an honest thing. “I think that is really healthy and I do feel people are starting to get to that stage.”

The Carlow actress also said that the film comments on masculinity and the pressures that still exist for men to be 'manly.'

“I find the men around my age more open to being vulnerable and sensitive and aren’t ashamed of it. “It can almost stunt a person’s growth if they aren’t able to have that dialogue, especially with the person they are in a relationship with or their parents and their friends. “The same with women, we are at a point now where we are almost meeting in the middle, I hope.”

On Chesil Beach is set for release in January 2019.