Greta Gerwig Says Her Directorial Debut 'Lady Bird' Wrote Itself!

Saoirse Ronan is all smiles while posing backstage at the official Academy screening of Lady Bird hosted by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on (November 7) in New York City.

The 23-year-old actress was joined at the event by director Greta Gerwig, cinematographer Sam Levy and film editor Nick Huoy.

“‘Lady Bird‘, in a way, wrote herself,” Gerwig told Reuters about her directorial debut, which she also wrote. “I was like, ‘Who is this girl, who’s this girl who makes (people) call her by a different name?’ It’s one of those things where it’s like I discovered the character as I was writing.”

The title character, played by Saoirse, is a teenage girl growing up “on the wrong side of the tracks” in Sacramento, California, attending Catholic school and wrestling with her identity as she figures out life after graduating from high school.

“I wanted to make a movie that was about home, and how home is something you only understand when you’re leaving,” Greta added – Watch the trailer below!