Saoirse Ronan on Oct. 9 in London, England.
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

CNN — 

With just a few words, Saoirse Ronan summed up a major issue for women.

During a recent appearance on “The Graham Norton Show” with fellow actors Denzel Washington, Paul Mescal and Eddie Redmayne, the conversation turned safety after Redmayne mentioned training for his forthcoming miniseries, “The Day of the Jackal.”

Redmayne said he had been advised during his training how to potentially use a phone to fend off an attack, which sparked a bit of laughter.

Mescal, who costarred with Redmayne in the 2023 film “Foe,” added his two cents.

“Who is actually going to think about that?,” he said. “If someone actually attacked me, I’m not going to go ‘phone.’”

Norton joked by pretending to hold an attacker with a phone, while saying “Can you hold on a second?”

But it was Ronan’s response that went viral.

“That’s what girls have to think about all the time,” she said.

When the men on the stage went quiet, she queried the audience.

“Am I right, ladies?” the “Little Woman” star asked as the audience responded enthusiastically.

Ronan was also hailed online for what she said.

“Saoirse Ronan is a queen,” one person wrote on X. “Men need a reminder what it’s like being a woman so they can appreciate their privilege. The silence after she said that speaks volumes.”