Saoirse Ronan said she "didn’t necessarily set out to sort of make a splash"

The Brooklyn actress said the reaction to her remark was unexpected, but urged people to watch the clip in full.

The moving moment saw Ronan highlight just how dangerous the world can be for women during a discussion between Paul Mescal and Eddie Redmayne.

The actors were laughing about how funny it would be to use your phone to defend yourself in a fight.

Mescal quipped: “Who is actually going to think about that? If someone actually attacked me, I’m not going to go ‘phone.’ “

Ronan swiftly responded saying, “That’s what girls have to think about all the time.”

Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on Virgin Radio UK this morning, Saoirse said: "The reaction has been wild. It's definitely not something that I had expected, and I didn't necessarily set out to sort of make a splash. But I do think there's something really telling about the society that we're in right now and about how open women want to be with the men in their lives.

"The boys weren't sort of like debunking anything that I was saying"

"So many men and women that I know from all over the world have gotten in touch with me about this one comment, which is, again, I would urge people, please, please, please to watch this in context," she stressed.

"Please watch the whole interview or watch at least that part of the conversation, because it really wasn't about… the boys weren't sort of like debunking anything that I was saying. But at the same time, it felt very similar to like when I am at dinner with a bunch of my friends and I will always make the point that, well, this is actually an experience that we go through every single day, 100%."

She said Paul Mescal is one of her dearest friends and they've had conversations like that before.

"He completely gets that and completely understands that but I think the fact that there was a moment like that that happened on a show like Graham Norton, which is something that the entire nation channels and to watch and even overseas, it's something that people tune into.

"It seems to have had an accessibility which seems to have really gained traction, which I think is amazing," Saoirse added.

She said she's glad it is opening a conversation again and is also allowing more women to talk about their own experiences.

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