Saoirse Ronan “sobbed hysterically” after watching her film Oscar-nominated film Lady Bird for the first time.

“I watched the film for the first time with my best friend in October. We had a couple of glasses of white wine before we went in because I was so nervous, but we had our arms wrapped around each other,” Saoirse, the lead in the film nominated for five Academy Awards, said. “Even though I knew what was going to happen in the film, I was laughing one moment and sobbing hysterically the next. It’s about the beautiful struggle of being a teenager, growing and changing and getting to know yourself, and having the realisation that relationships change.”

The 23-year-old actress was in conversation with her director Greta Gerwig for the Sunday Times. Saoirse also said that she identified a lot with her character.

“I identify with a lot in Lady Bird. The great thing about how you’ve written the character is that she doesn’t know how great or special she is. And there’s a huge sense of the importance of belonging, belonging to a place, a time in your life,” Saoirse told Gerwig.

Lady Bird is nominated for best actress (Saoirse), best director and best original screenplay (Gerwig) among others for the Oscar award ceremony next month. The film won two Golden Globes in January.