Saoirse Ronan Talks Making Her Broadway Debut

— -- Saoirse Ronan is only 22 years old but she already has two Oscar nominations under her belt, most recently for her role in last year’s “Brooklyn.”

Now the actress is making her Broadway debut in “The Crucible,” and she's quickly learning the differences between film and stage. Ronan said in an interview that aired today on “Good Morning America” that performing on the stage has caused her to be more physical, including nearly losing her voice.

“Everything is so minimal, or it should be, I think, with film, if you’ve got a camera right there,” Ronan said. “With theater, it does need to be more physical and because of that, then the stamina that you need to keep that up, every single day, six days a week is much greater.”

Ronan also described her character, Abigail, as “the worst” but said she had reason.

The character wasn’t a simple black and white villain, she said.

“To begin with, in the play everything is sort of taken away from her ... and so I think she’s one of those people who is sort of desperate for a purpose and authority and things like that, so I think that drives her to do what she does,” Ronan said.

Ronan was born in the Bronx but moved to Ireland when she was 3 years old. The actress celebrated her 21st birthday at Disneyland last year and said she is now relishing being on the opposite coast of the U.S., in New York City.

“I just love it so much and for a while I thought, ‘Oh God, I’ve always sort of romanticized New York, I wonder if it will live up to the expectations,’” she said. “So to come back here and just be able to wander around the village and stuff is wonderful.”

She added, “I’m just really in love with the city.”

“The Crucible” is running at the Walter Kerr Theater in New York City through July 17.