Saoirse Ronan & Max Irons: 'The Host' Cast Portraits (Exclusive)

Saoirse Ronan and Max Irons share a smile in this brand new photo shoot taken exclusively for JustJared.com!

The 18-year-old actress and 27-year-old actor currently co-star in the upcoming film The Host, which hits theaters this Friday (March 29)!

JJ caught up with Saoirse and Max to get the scoop on what it was like working with each other, as well as their co-stars Diane Kruger and Jake Abel.

We also chatted about the on-set prank wars that occurred, and asked fun facts about themselves!

Click inside to read JustJared.com’s exclusive interviews with Saoirse Ronan and Max Irons…

Saoirse Ronan – JustJared.com Exclusive Interview

JustJared.com: What was your favorite off-screen moment while shooting.
Saoirse Ronan: Max and I went to have dance lessons for the swing dance montage scene that we have. And we went to see this guy, I think his name’s Ralph or Ray, or something like that. And he was just so cool…but he was quite small. And he was a great guy, so we had really fun times doing that.

JJ: Did both of you pick it up at the same time or was one a better dancer than the other?
SR: I was a better dancer! I picked it up before Max did. Max needed to just relax a little bit. And I kept taking the lead, which I always do anyways whenever I dance.

JJ: I thought he said he was a break dancer when he was younger.
SR: Yea, he did this break dance Grease mix tape at a disco when he was like ten years old. He was like ‘Oh yea, I won this dance competition once!’ And we were like ‘Oh my God, when was that and what did you do and stuff?’ ‘I was like ten years old at a camp! I don’t know if anyone else danced’ I wonder if it’s on Youtube!

JJ: Did you have a favorite prop from set?
SR: Favorite prop? The little cryopod things cause they can be used for paper weights as well.

JJ: Did you steal any?
SR: No, but I should have! There was a few of those things that I really wanted to steal and then just didn’t have enough time. But I still want to take one of those. I might find out where they are, but I want to steal it though! You know?

JJ: Can you describe Max in one word?
SR: English!

JJ: Jake?
SR: Guitar.

JJ: Diane?
SR: Mmm, Diane. Focused. [Laughs] She gets the good one!

JJ: What was the last movie you saw?
SR: The last movie I saw was Frankie and Johnny on the plane. It was great, it was really lovely!

JJ: What was the last song you downloaded?
SR: The last song I downloaded was a song by Daughter called “Human”.

JJ: Good?
SR: It was good, and it’s free before their album comes out. Have you heard of them? They’re a really good band, a really good English band, you should check them out.

JJ: Were you involved at all with any of the pranks that went on on set with Jake and Max? Did they involve you or prank you?
SR: There was one prank that Jake pulled on Max, obviously, when we found out that Max was afraid of things with wings, so like moths and butterflies and any kinds of insects. So he found this little plastic sort of cockroach thing that we put in his microwave that he would use everyday to heat up his lunch. And just watched the trailer waiting. And eventually he came, like ran out of the trailer freaking out! And the thing is that, I’m always the one who’s the accomplice in the pranks but I’m never the one that comes up with them really. But I get a real kick out of them, so eventually I have to tell the person that we’re playing the prank on that we’ve playing the prank on them cause they get a real kick out of it.

JJ: I hear you’re a pop culture junkie?
SR: Not a junkie. I’m interested in pop culture I guess.

JJ: Is there some interest that people wouldn’t expect you to like? You play serious roles, but there’s a playful side people see very often!
SR: I’m serious sometimes, but most of the time, I’m just like this! I like to surf during the summer, I really like doing that.

JJ: I heard you like viral videos! Do you have a favorite video?
SR: [Laughs] There’s two that I love at the moment. Do you know “Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That”? Sweet Brown? [Imitates video]. She’s like ‘I thought there was a fire!’ And then, this Taylor Swift video. You know that song that she has “I Knew You Were Trouble” and it’s like twenty seconds of her song and it’s right before she goes into the chorus and you know when she hits that high note? Well, they replace it with, it’s actually a sheep, well they replace it with a sheep screaming! You know they make that really weird screaming noise? And they replace it with the sheep! It’s the funniest thing. It’s so funny. So those two videos.

JJ: Do you know who GloZell is?
SR: Who’s that?

JJ: The cinnamon challenge?
SR: I’ve never done the cinnamon challenge! Is she good at it?

JJ: It’s amazing!
SR: I love that, when you’re laughing so much at one of those videos! And it’s just like, their reaction to something.

Max Irons – JustJared.com Exclusive Interview

JustJared.com: What’s been your favorite off-screen moment of shooting?
MI: It would be hanging out in New Mexico going hiking. I like to go by myself. I get crazy on set sometimes being surrounded by people, so every once in a while I just have to get out.

JJ: Do you have a favorite prop from set?
MI: No, I didn’t steal any props. Getting to play with the guns was quite fun. But no, I didn’t have many props.

JJ: Did the guns actually shoot anything?
MI: They shot blanks if you wanted them to.

JJ: Describe Diane Kruger in one word.
MI: Stunning. Oh, I can do better than that. Mesmeric.

JJ: Saoirse Ronan?
MI: Effortlessly talented. Two words, I know (laughs).

JJ: Jake Abel?
MI: Kind.

JJ: Did you and Jake play pranks on one another?
MI: He’s a little sh-t. He loves playing pranks. He in fact opens pranks up to the world of Twitter. He decided to tell the world that I’m terrified of insects. We had a book signing the other day with 1,000 people, lots of whom threw plastic insects, or in some cases real insects, onto the table.

JJ: What’s the last movie you saw?
MI: The last movie I saw was Life of Pi. I loved it. I thought it was amazing.

JJ: What’s the last song you downloaded?
MI: Woodkid’s new album. It was amazing. It’s a French guy. He used to direct videos for Katy Perry and write lyrics for Rihanna. He decided to make his own music. He’s f-cking awesome.

JJ: Tell us more about your upcoming TV series.
MI: It’s called The White Queen. It’s about The War of the Roses, which took place in the 15th century, particularly violent period in history and a politically unstable period in history. I play King Edward IV – a bit of a womanizer, a very intelligent guy. And it tracks him and his wife over the course of their final 20 years.

JJ: Do you have a favorite off-screen moment from filming the series?
MI: They offered to give me the horse that I rode.

JJ: Did you take it?
MI: I didn’t! Because I thought I’d be unkind keeping a horse in London. Where are you going to keep it? The poor guy’s going to be in the stable the whole time. But it was nice because I was the only one they offered.

JJ: What’s Tarquin Wong up to? [question given to us by Jake]
MI: Tarquin Wong! Where did you get that from (laughs)? He was this kid I went to school with when I was 13. He was a gymnast and a diving champion. I beat him in a dance competition, dancing to the Grease megamix with a combination of swing and break dance. At the time, it felt like my finest hour. When I look back, it makes me uncomfortable.

JJ: Let’s see you break dance!
MI: No (laughs)! I was more flexible in those days. Now, I’m taller and ganglier.