Fifteen years after the release of The Lovely Bones, Saoirse Ronan is reflecting on the movie casting that almost was.

The four-time Academy Award nominee starred in the 2009 film adaptation of Alice Sebolds supernatural novel as Susie Salmon, a murdered teen who narrates her story from the afterlife as her family members attempt to track down her killer.

Appearing on this weeks episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast , Ronan spoke about Ryan Gosling s much-publicized departure from The Lovely Bones shortly before filming began.

I just loved Ryan and his dog, George, and was just sad that, you know, he wasnt going to be around, she said. But I think the reasons why they parted were totally valid. Ive spoken to both now ... it happens. Its not personal, necessarily. Its like sometimes youre just not on the same page.

Gosling had been set to appear in The Lovely Bones as Susies grief-stricken father, Jack Salmon. Just days before production began, however, the Half Nelson actor was fired by director Peter Jackson, who replaced him with Mark Wahlberg.

Ultimately, Ronan feels that Wahlberg who was, by then, a father of three children was a better fit for the role of Jack.