Saoirse Ronan recalls being pitted against Dakota Fanning during early years in Hollywood

The Oscar-nominated star says she would love to work with Fanning.

Saoirse Ronan looked back on coming up in Hollywood, revealing that she was often pitted against other young actresses — namely, Dakota Fanning, who also got her start in the industry as a child.

"For a while, it was me and Dakota Fanning," Ronan told ELLE for the magazine's Women in Hollywood edition. The Academy Award-nominated star added that she "would love" to work with Fanning in the future, citing her as "one of the reasons why I got into acting in the first place."

Related: Saoirse Ronan on playing both 'ugly and nasty' and a 'beacon of hope' in two different movies this year

"When I was really young, she was working from such an early age, and I used to watch her stuff," said Ronan. "So to feel like, 'Oh, there’s space for all of us now,' where there’s still healthy competition, I think it’s great."

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Ronan made her first screen appearance at the age of 9 in the Irish medical drama The Clinic, while Fanning rose to prominence at the age of 7 for her role in the film I Am Sam. Ronan broke out for her role as Keira Knightley's younger sister in the war romance Atonement, which earned her her very first Oscar nomination at just the age of 13.

Both have continued to work steadily since, with Ronan once again courting Oscar buzz for her work in The Outrun, about a woman who tries to come to terms with a past marred by addiction. Fanning also recently received her first Emmy nomination for her work in the Netflix limited series Ripley, an adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley.

The two have overlapped a few times in the biz, with Fanning having stepped in to replace Ronan in 2014's Effie Gray and 2019's Sweetness in the Belly due to scheduling conflicts.

Related: Saoirse Ronan said she would 'only come out of semi-retirement' for Blitz director Steve McQueen

Speaking with ELLE, Ronan addressed how her generation is changing the culture of Hollywood for the better. "I think the strike had a massive effect on how we view the industry," she said. "That, paired with people knowing their worth a little bit more, or feeling like there’s an environment now where they can band together, and they don’t need to be against one another."

Fanning also recently opened up about growing up in Hollywood, telling The Cut in a cover interview published last month that her mother helped her stay grounded during an era when tabloids were unforgiving of child stars.

"She was there every second," said Fanning. "I was always treated with respect. It was never 'Bring the kid in! Get her out!' I was being respected as an actor and as equal as you can be for that age. Looking back on my life, my career is such a present part of it, but I really think about the childhood memories, too. My life doesn’t feel disproportionate with work, and I’m so grateful for that."