American Woman star Sienna Miller on portraying every parent’s worst nightmare

After supporting roles in period pieces like The Lost City Of Z and Live By Night, alongside grittier performances in American Sniper and Foxcatcher, Sienna Miller steps to the fore in perhaps her most challenging part to date, the American Woman in the title of her latest film.

Directed by Jake Scott (son of Ridley), it follows Debs, notorious in her small town for her behaviour but who has to change when the disappearance of her daughter leaves her in charge of her young grandson, an adjustment she could never have envisaged. And it’s that character arc that piqued Miller’s interest in the part, as she explains to The People’s Movies Freda Cooper, although she admits that the director had decided on her for the role well before she agreed to do it.

As the film traces how Debs moves from a chaotic way of life to something calmer and more secure, it also examines how parents cope when their worst nightmare becomes traumatic reality and Miller found this one of the biggest challenges of the film. In the interview below, she also talks about working with her on-screen “sister” Christina Hendricks and looks forward to her next film in UK cinemas, 21 Bridges, a taut thriller which sees her co-starring with Chadwick Boseman.

Video interview

American Woman is released in UK cinemas and on digital on 11 October.

Read our review of the film here.

About the Author

Freda Cooper

Editor

A lifelong movie fan and a film critic for over ten years, Freda’s natural habitat is the darkened rooms frequented by fellow cineastes. She can also be found asking questions of some of the biggest names in the business – from Cate Blanchett to Daniel Craig or Mike Leigh to Pete Docter – or crafting reviews for a number of sites and publications, including The People’s Movies. And listeners to BBC Local Radio can catch her views on the latest releases. She always – and probably always will – cite The Third Man as her favourite film of all time. Her top ten? That’s a moveable feast …..

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