“I signed upto do aGreta Gerwigmovie.I would doanythingfor Greta.”
—TIMOTHÉE CHALAMETIt’s been a long day. They’re back in comfy
clothes; Ronan is taking a late lunch. It feels like
both actors—as another whirlwind of acclaim
and press and romance-shipping awaits—are at
a kind of peace, exhausted but satisfyingly so.
Little Women is the biggest movie either has
done to date; more attention, as they inhabit
such revered characters, is sure to follow. “I just
haven’t thought about it that way,” Ronan
admits. “Maybe because it’s just Greta—even
though it’s on a much bigger scale, she wanted it
to feel like Lady Bird.”
Ronan understands the timeless
power of Little Women, of course:
“It’s as important to tell Little
Women right now as it would be at
any point in our lifetime.” She
points to this pop culture climate
of “celebrating female friendships
and sisterhood,” and continues,
“It’s a story that’s full of love. That
will always be relevant.”
She turns toward Chalamet, and
you realize the love they brought to
Alcott’s classic is what first blos-
somed between them on Lady Bird.
“I love that in Lady Bird, you broke
my heart,” she says to him softly.
“In Little Women, I got to break
your heart.” (Chalamet, ever the
goofball, finds an obvious opening:
“Yes, that’s true. Then I married
your sister. Ha, ha, ha!”)
If this all sounds a little idyllic,
well, neither actor—nor Gerwig,
nor Pascal, nor the rest of the cast—
can do much to convince you
otherwise. Shifting back to Little
Women’s timelessness, and reflect-
ing on Ronan’s comments about it,
Chalamet says, “I don’t know how
to add to that.” Instead he turns
back to his costar, his expression
suddenly sincere, filled with grati-
tude. “But if I can add one little dose
of information,” he says with a ner-
vous laugh. “And not just because
she’s sitting next to me.” He credits
Ronan with bringing that “timeless
energy.” He says “thank God” they
were able to make the movie. “It’s so
rare with Saoirse—I’m so f---ing
grateful to get to work with her,” he
says. “Whatever book I write for
myself when I’m older, to look back
on—” He stops himself. “Well, this
is a bigger conversation.”
But Ronan, chuckling, doesn’t let
him off the hook. “Will I have, like,
a chapter?” And Chalamet laughs—
another opening, another chance
to act with his greatest scene part-
ner, to see what journey of creation
and discovery they’ll go on next.
“A chapter of Saoirse,” he says.
At this rate, one chapter won’t
suffice. �