Saoirse Ronan is in a league of her own. With a formidable, more-than-two-decade-long career under her belt and no less than four Academy Award nominations to her name, the Irish industry stalwart already feels overdue a moment on the Oscars stage—despite being only 30. She’s worked with some of Hollywood’s most respected auteurs—Joe Wright, Peter Jackson, Wes Anderson, Greta Gerwig, Steve McQueen—and, unlike most of her contemporaries, has eschewed TV almost entirely in favor of cinema. It makes sense: There’s something wonderfully old-school about her brand of star power and her elfin face, striking subtlety, and fiercely expressive eyes seem to belong on the big screen. I expect it’s also why she’s been cast in so many sweeping period pieces, from the ’30s-set Atonement to the 16th-century epic Mary Queen of Scots.

Now, as she finally graduates from young adult roles to playing a mother in the World War II saga Blitz, we revisit her 11 most captivating performances to date.

Atonement (2007)

Remarkably, Ronan had already been acting for four years when she broke out at the age of 13, playing the precocious and reckless child whose actions have devastating consequences on the couple (Keira Knightley and James McAvoy) at the heart of Joe Wright’s heartbreaking, decades-spanning tale of lost love and crippling regret. It’s a mind-bogglingly delicate and self-assured performance that led to a best-supporting-actress Oscar nod—and fast-tracked Ronan onto the A-list.

The Lovely Bones (2009)

Soon after, Ronan proved she could carry a film, too, taking the part of Susie Salmon, the adventurous 14-year-old who disappears on her way home from school in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of Alice Sebold’s moving bestseller. Despite the copious special effects and the script’s excessive sentimentality, Ronan grounds the audience in the unfolding tragedy and makes us believe her every word.

Hanna (2011)

After a string of gentle, contemplative dramas, it’s a thrill to watch Ronan let out guttural screams, beat her enemies to a pulp, and thrive in the wilderness in this rip-roaring reunion with Joe Wright—a blood-pumping revenge thriller tracking the titular child assassin as she’s hunted by the CIA. Ronan is as convincing as a gritty action star as she is as the wide-eyed ingénues she previously embodied.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

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In Wes Anderson’s delightful, candy-colored ensemble piece, Ronan dazzles as Agatha, the sweet-natured love interest to Tony Revolori’s eager bellhop Zero. Everything about her is swooningly gorgeous, from her prim, pastel-hued wardrobe to the Mexico-shaped birthmark on her face.

Brooklyn (2015)

A young Irishwoman sails to the United States to build a new life in the 1950s, adjusting to her new surroundings, grappling with homesickness, and choosing between romantic prospects in John Crowley’s tear-jerking immigration saga. It’s the perfect star vehicle for Ronan, showcasing her talent for weaving together a kind of worldly pluckiness with touching vulnerability, and it earned her the first of her three best-actress Oscar nominations.

Lady Bird (2017)

The second came with Greta Gerwig’s semi-autobiographical coming-of-age romp, an instant classic that saw Ronan embody the titular rebellious high schooler as she argues with her overbearing mother (Laurie Metcalf), falls for the wrong boys (Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet), loses her best friend (Beanie Feldstein), and, in one unforgettable early sequence, throws herself out of a moving car. In short, she’s a force of nature who became a figurehead for frustrated teen girls everywhere. Ronan’s performance rightfully secured the actor her first Golden Globe, as well as BAFTA, SAG, Critics’ Choice, and Independent Spirit Award nods.

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

With a copper plait, chainmail-covered corsets, and giant hoop skirts, the actor transforms into the fierce Mary Stuart opposite Margot Robbie’s steely Queen Elizabeth I (and Ronan’s now-husband, Jack Lowden, as the dashing Lord Darnley, the former’s second spouse) in Josie Rourke’s sumptuous recreation of 16th-century Britain. Despite a starry supporting cast—Gemma Chan, Joe Alwyn, Guy Pearce, David Tennant—it’s impossible to take your eyes off Ronan, whether she’s riding into battle on horseback, wielding shotguns, navigating palace intrigue, or finally facing up to her powerful rival.

Little Women (2019)

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Greta Gerwig’s take on Louisa May Alcott’s heartwarmer contains what might just be my favorite Ronan performance to date: her sublime interpretation of the courageous, flighty, razor-sharp and supremely talented Jo March, the ultimate literary heroine, previously embodied by everyone from Katharine Hepburn to Winona Ryder. In this sun-drenched, misty-eyed reimagining, Ronan discovers new sides to Jo, breaking open her feisty exterior to reveal her fears, doubts, and anxieties as she grows closer to Laurie (Timothée Chalamet), feuds with Amy (Florence Pugh), weeps for Beth (Eliza Scanlen), and strives to be good for her mother (Laura Dern). It’s masterful stuff—fleet-footed and impish, then more pensive and anguished—and resulted in yet another Oscar nomination.

Ammonite (2020)

A tempestuous, illicit love story between Mary Anning, a pioneering paleontologist (Kate Winslet), and Charlotte Murchison, the ailing wife of an archeologist (Ronan) plays out on the craggy, windswept shores of Dorset in Francis Lee’s tender mood piece. Dainty and fragile, Ronan is characteristically excellent—the watchful, almost bird-like foil to her co-star’s older, more jaded, no-nonsense journeyman. Charlotte brings out Mary’s softer side, and her lover, in turn, helps bring Charlotte back to life.

The Outrun (2024)

In one of her darkest and most harrowing roles to date—Rona, an introspective young woman struggling with alcoholism who returns to her childhood home on the stormy Orkney Islands to hunker down, recover, and put her life back together—Ronan is utterly transcendent. Zipping back and forth between the hazy, traumatic past and her more clear-eyed but lonely present, the drama lets her revel in the euphoric highs of her days partying in London, the crushing lows of the comedowns, the pain of wrenching yourself from the jaws of addiction only to slip back into the same patterns, and, ultimately, the quiet joy of finally emerging from the fog and finding a new purpose. Through it all, though, there’s an incredible and surprising sense of restraint, with trembling lips and furrowed brows conveying her agony in favor of extended, expository monologues. It’s as Oscar-worthy as anything Ronan’s ever done before.

Blitz (2024)

Ronan’s part in Steve McQueen’s spine-chilling and then life-affirming depiction of wartime London—as the devoted single mother of a strong-willed young boy (Elliott Heffernan) who is sent away to the countryside but escapes en route, desperate to come home—marks a notable shift in her oeuvre, as she moves away from playing precocious teenagers and uncertain 20-somethings and towards more mature roles. She’s a warm and reassuring presence, with an unrivaled ease and composure in front of the camera—but, of course, after 21 years on screen, you’d expect nothing else.