Sienna Miller on being underestimated and the insidious side of fame
Miller stars in a new Netflix series, playing a character who has similar experiences to her own.
Sienna Miller has revealed she previously felt underestimated as an actress but has now “reached a point of nihilism” and learnt to deal with the “insidious” side of fame.
Miller, 40, gained recognition as an actress after starring in the 2004 films Layer Cake and Alfie.
Her most recent project, Anatomy Of A Scandal, is due for release on Netflix later this month.
Speaking to Elle magazine, Miller explained she has previously grown frustrated at the fact she is so often underestimated as an actress.
She said: “I don’t know what more I have to do. I feel like, from a young age, I’ve proven myself”, before revealing that as she has grown older, she has learnt to care far less about the opinions of others.
“Without sounding arrogant,” she said, “because I’m riddled with insecurity and the lowest self-esteem – and that’s the truth, I’m not just saying it – but I think I’ve reached a point of nihilism, which I’m quite happy about.
“I don’t know whether that’s (because of) Covid, but I just don’t really care.”
For a time, Miller’s acting achievements were somewhat overshadowed by her personal life after she experienced a very public break-up from ex-fiance Jude Law after he admitted to cheating on her with his children’s nanny.
Miller was also later revealed as one of the celebrity victims of the 2011 News of the World phone hacking scandal.
She gave evidence in court as part of the ensuing Leveson Inquiry, during which she spoke openly about her experience as a woman in the public eye.
The actress said: “I would often find myself almost daily, I was 21, at midnight running down a dark street on my own with 10 big men chasing me.
“The fact that they had cameras in their hands meant that was legal. But if you take away the cameras, what have you got? You’ve got a pack of men chasing a woman, and obviously that’s a very intimidating situation to be in.”
More than a decade on and Miller has reflected on how she dealt with finding fame at a young age.
She told Elle: “I was just catapulted into a totally parallel universe, while being in love (with Jude Law).
“There was a lot of magic at that time. At first, it was kind of comical, but very quickly it became insidious and, yeah, scary.”
She added: “I became so litigious, just to try and carve out an existence that I could manage. You’ve seen women implode as a result of that. You can’t hold onto sanity or grounding.”
Miller likened her experiences as a young woman to those of the character she plays in Netflix’s Anatomy Of A Scandal.
The new series, which will be released on April 15, follows Sophie Whitehouse – the wife of parliamentary minister James Whitehouse – after her husband is accused of a scandalous crime.
Speaking about her character, Miller said: “It was familiar terrain, because I’ve experienced some of the things that she experienced. And the feelings were familiar.”
She added: “There is something cathartic, I suppose, about spending time in an ugly space that’s familiar. And maybe reclaiming it? I don’t know what the psychology of it is. But there is something where maybe you can substitute a memory with something else.”
The May issue of Elle UK featuring the full interview with Sienna Miller is on sale from April 7.
