Paul Mescal has spoken out about the moment Saoirse Ronan made headlines with her powerful comment about women's safety during an episode of The Graham Norton Show.
The incident, which quickly went viral on social media, took place when the duo - along with Hollywood icons Eddie Redmayne and Denzel Washington - discussed using everyday items like phones for self-defense.
However, it was Ronan's candid response to a comment from Redmayne about using a phone to injure an attacker that really got people talking.
During Redmayne's recount of his assassin training for the Sky Atlantic series The Day Of The Jackal where he learned to use a phone in self-defense, Mescal light-heartedly doubted how practical the technique would actually be.
"Who is actually going to think about that? If someone actually attacked me, I’m not going to go: ‘Phone,'" he said.
As the audience and guests laughed, Ronan seized the moment to highlight the constant vigilance women must maintain when they're out alone stating: "That’s what girls have to think about all the time. Am I right ladies?"
The comment quite literally left the men on the couch speechless, as the audience applauded the actress.
Reflecting on the episode during a recent episode on The Late Late Show, Mescal shared his views on the reaction to the powerful comment.
"It’s massively important and I’m sure you’ve had Saoirse on the show, like, she’s... quite often, more often than not, the most intelligent person in the room," Mescal said, praising his friend.
The Little Women actress also addressed her iconic remark during an interview with Ryan Tubridy during an interview on Virgin Radio UK.
"The reaction has been wild. It's definitely not something that I had expected, and I didn't necessarily set out to sort of make a splash," Ronan admitted.
She went on to clarify that the discussion wasn't about undermining her co-stars, but instead about an ongoing issue that many women face daily.
"Please watch the whole interview or watch at least that part of the conversation, because it really wasn't about... the boys weren't sort of like debunking anything that I was saying," she urged.
"But at the same time, it felt very similar to like when I am at dinner with a bunch of my friends and I will always make the point that, well, this is actually an experience that we go through every single day, 100 percent," she added.
Ronan's comments not only shed light on the disparities in personal safety experiences between genders but have also encouraged people not to shy away from discussing it.
And that's why we adore her, ladies and gentlemen!