Saoirse Ronan says she was rejected for role of legendary Harry Potter character

Sadly, rejection is part of our everyday lives. As painful as it can be, it sure does help shape us.

Even celebrities - including the likes of Meryl Streep - get turned down from major roles.

The latest star to speak put about the set-back that's 'stayed with her' over the years in The Outrun actress Saoirse Ronan.

The 30-year-old recently told Jimmy Fallon how missing out on playing Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter franchise impacted her.

Evanna Lynch was instead cast as the much-loved witch, making her debut in 2007’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Saoirse Ronan (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

The franchise, as we know, exploded to cult status and was still among the highest-grossing franchises even last year.

Lynch reprised the role in 2009's Half-Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows – Part 1 in 2010, and 2011's Deathly Hallows – Part 2.

Ronan told Fallon: “There’s things that you’ll pass on and then they come out, and you think, ‘Oh God, that was a misstep on my part,' but I think the one that stayed with me over the years — I didn’t say no to it, I just didn’t get the part. I lost, again. It’s a running theme for me.”

She continued: “I had gone up for Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter years ago, because it was like the Irish character, so they got everyone Irish in — like half of Ireland to come and audition — and I knew I wasn’t going to get it because I was too young, but I got to read out a scene that was going to be in Harry Potter and it was the coolest thing ever.”

Evanna Lynch was cast as Luna Lovegood at the age of 14 (Tristar Media/Getty Images)

Yet missing out on the Harry Potter franchise hasn't stopped Ronan from making a name for herself.

The Golden Globe winner made her feature film debut the same year Order of the Phoenix came out.

Ronan starred as a teenager in the war drama Atonement alongside James McAvoy and Keira Knightley. She was 12 years old when she landed the role, which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Her other major credits have included murdered teen Susie in The Lovely Bones, a teenage assassin in Hanna, and the supporting role of a baker in The Grand Budapest Hotel.

More recently, she's played Jo March in Greta Gerwig's Little Women and won a Golden Globe as for her lead role in 2017's Lady Bird, alongside Timothee Chalamet.