Despite Vastly Different Careers, Selena Gomez and Saoirse Ronan Approach Acting the Same Way

On paper, you wouldn’t think Selena Gomez and Saoirse Ronan have much in common. One’s a Disney pop star; the other’s a serious Irish actress. Yet, in their “Actors on Actors” conversation with Variety, they revealed a shared motivator: their inner child.

It’s easy to forget Ronan started young—she was just 12 in Atonement and had acted in smaller roles before that. Gomez’s childhood stardom is much more widely known. Their distinct experiences created a surprising connection.

When Gomez asked Ronan how she approaches playing such a wide range of characters, Ronan admitted she didn’t have a technical answer. Starting so young, she explained, meant she “developed this ability and discipline before even really being aware of it.” That early “lack of inhibition” let her make sense of the world through acting. She described her connection to “make-believe” as central to her process:

“My approach to characters is sort of rooted in the connection to the make-believe in that way,” she explained.

However, Ronan confessed that working with child actors today, as she did in Blitz, stirs melancholy. Their fearless imagination reminds her of something she’ll never fully recapture.

Gomez related to these insights but seemed slightly reserved about revisiting her childhood. She often shifted the conversation toward adult topics, saying things like, “I think I’m too old now for the pop-star life,” and calling Ronan’s acting career “much more interesting” than hers. While both women nurture their inner children through their craft, they do so for different reasons. For Ronan, it’s about joy and play; for Gomez, it feels more like protection.