Saoirse Ronan thanks Ryan Gosling for helping people pronounce her name

Actress Saoirse Ronan has offered up thanks to Ryan Gosling for helping people with the pronunciation of her name.

The New York-born Brooklyn star was given the traditional name by her Irish parents, and she has had to correct people on the spelling and pronunciation for years.

But Gosling gave her a big boost at the Hollywood Film Awards in November (15), when he presented the former child star with the New Hollywood Award and told the audience, "It's Ser-sha, like inertia!" - and now suddenly people have started getting her name right.

"Someone sent me a photo two weeks later of a cinema in Minnesota, and on the sign in the front it said, 'Brooklyn' and then underneath it said, 'Ser-sha, Like Inertia'," the actress told People magazine at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival Gala on Saturday (02Jan16).

"I couldn't believe it! They actually put it on the front of the cinema, so the power of Ryan Gosling is stronger than anything else. He's like Jesus or something, like a blond Canadian Jesus!"

Gosling also told the crowd at the Hollywood Film Awards that Saoirse, who is hotly tipped to land an Oscar nomination for her performance in Brooklyn, is one of his favourite actresses.