Saoirse Ronan silences male stars with reaction to self-defence joke

American Irish actor Saoirse Ronan silenced a room full of male stars with just a few words. 

The Little Women star appeared as a guest alongside Paul Mescal, Eddie Redmayne and Denzel Washington on BBC’s The Graham Norton Show. 

On the talk show, Redmayne, 42, spoke about the physical training he underwent for his role in the upcoming miniseries The Day of the Jackal, in which he plays an assassin. 

After Redmayne said he was taught how to use his phone as a weapon if someone was attacking him, Mescal, 28, made a joke saying someone wouldn’t think of using their phone if they were in a dangerous situation. 

“Who is actually going to think about that?” Mescal asked. “If someone actually attacked me, I’m not going to go ‘phone.'”

Norton, 61, then pointed to an imaginary attacker and said, “Can you hold on a second?” while pretending to pull out his phone. 

After initially trying to make a comment while the men laughed and continued to joke about the scenario for roughly 15 seconds, Ronan, 30, spoke up. 

“That’s what girls have to think about all the time,” she said, smiling. 

As the men sat stunned in silence, Ronan then gestured toward the audience and asked, “Am I right, ladies?” which garnered a roar of applause. 

There’s also been significant reaction on social media, with many users praising Ronan.

“Saoirse ronan gagging men we love to see it,” reads one post on X. 

“The thing that angered me the most is that Saoirse Ronan, the only woman on the panel, had to almost fight to make her point amongst a group of laughing men who didn’t consider her input or the experiences of women,” reads another post. 

A number of social media users pointed out that Ronan had tried to speak up earlier but was spoken over.

“Notice how she tried to say her piece before they all started spouting those things but they just all talked over her so she just waited,” said one user.

“Saoirse Ronan is a queen. Men need a reminder what it’s like being a woman so they can appreciate their privilege. The silence after she said that speaks volumes,” wrote another. 

In 2018, one in three women were subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour while in a public place, according to Statistics Canada. Women are also more likely than men to report experiencing certain forms of violence, including sexual assault, online harassment or unwanted sexual behaviour in the workplace.