Saoirse Ronan Reveals Why Ryan Gosling Was Fired From The Lovely Bones

Before starring in Lady Bird and Little Women, Saoirse Ronan gave a memorable performance in Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones, which originally starred Ryan Gosling before he was dropped from the cast — a decision Ronan thinks was “totally valid.”

During a recent appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the actor recalled working on the 2009 film, which is based on Alice Sebold's 2002 novel and tells the story of a murdered teenage girl, Susie Salmon (Ronan), who watches over her grief-stricken family from purgatory.

Along with Ronan, The Lovely Bones also stars the likes of Stanley Tucci, Rachel Weisz, and Mark Wahlberg as Susie’s grieving father, Jack Salmon. Wahlberg’s role was first awarded to Gosling, who left the project on the first day of filming due to “creative differences” with director Jackson.

“I just loved Ryan. And his dog, George,” said Ronan, who had met the Barbie star in pre-production before his firing. “I was just sad that he wasn't gonna be around.”

While she was sad to see him go, Ronan understood the decision. “I think the reasons why they parted were totally valid. I have spoken to both [Gosling and Jackson] now ... It happens, you know what I mean? It's not personal, necessarily; it's just sometimes you're not on the same page.”

Looking on the bright side, Ronan added on the podcast that getting to work with Wahlberg was the silver lining to Gosling’s departure.

“Mark was able to step in, and he was a father,” she continued. “He was a father to, like, I don't know, three kids? He probably had an experience of that that Ryan felt he didn't. Ryan was like 27. He was young.”

Gosling previously reflected on his Lovely Bones firing with The Hollywood Reporter in 2010, revealing that he decided to gain 60 pounds for the role — a move that didn’t go down well with director Jackson.

“We had a different idea of how the character should look. I really believed he should be 210 pounds,” Gosling said. “I just showed up on set, and I had gotten it wrong ... Then I was fat and unemployed.”

Ronan & Gosling Reunited

While they didn’t end up working together on The Lovely Bones, Ronan and Gosling both starred in 2014’s Lost River, which the Drive star wrote and directed.

“It was great then to work with him later,” Ronan said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “He's just, like, the same. He doesn't change.”