Actress Sienna Miller has revealed that filming a sex scene while six months pregnant was the hardest part of shooting her new Sky drama War.
The 44-year-old star joined co-star Dominic West, 56, to discuss filming intimate scenes for the eight-part divorce series, which premiered on Friday to unanimous critical acclaim.
War follows the story of Carla, played by Miller, a Hollywood A-lister who uses underhand tactics to divorce her philandering tech billionaire husband Morgan, played by West, as he attempts to keep hold of his assets. The backbone of the story focuses on their respective law firms and the extreme lengths they will go to ensure their clients get what they believe they are owed.
Miller is an acclaimed screen actress known for her roles across film and television, while West is widely recognized for his leading roles in major television series. Sky, the British telecommunications and broadcasting company, released the eight-part thriller across its television platforms.
Filming Intimate Scenes While Expecting
Speaking to Harper's Bazaar UK, Miller discussed shooting an intimate moment with co-star Archie Renaux, who plays Jonathan "Johnny" Warren, an ambitious, double-crossing lawyer who enjoys a romp with Carla in yet-unseen scenes of the drama.
Miller identified the sequence as the most challenging part of the production process. She explained that trying to do a love scene while six months pregnant with Renaux was the hardest part of shooting, noting that he was terrified and there was a bump. She added that he had to lower her onto a table while she felt heavy.
West asked Miller about the exact stage of her pregnancy during filming. Miller clarified that she was roughly six and a half to seven months pregnant, explaining that she was trying to feel sexy and avoid vomiting during the shoot.
West added his own perspective on filming intimate scenes for the show, joking that the worst part for him was not the hormones, but just sh*gging, noting he felt too old for that malarkey. Miller revealed that West repeatedly expressed sympathy by saying "poor girl" about co-star Rose Williams, who plays Flora, a honeytrap character who snares West's character Morgan.
Family Life and Career Milestones
Off screen, Miller welcomed her third child in April, her second with partner Oli Green, 29. The couple got engaged two months later. The pair also welcomed a child together in January 2024.
In addition to her two children with Green, Miller shares a 14-year-old daughter, Marlowe, with actor Tom Sturridge, whom she dated for four years until July 2015.
Following the release of the series, Miller shared that she has been told by other actresses that she is lucky to be turning 40 now, as previous generations faced severe career obstacles when reaching that milestone.
Reflecting on her career and turning 40, Miller stated that she feels less need to prove herself, expressing that she is not sure whether that is because she has nothing to prove or simply does not care about proving myself anymore. However, she admitted that she still wishes she had played Juliet earlier in her career.
Critical Reception and Praise for the Cast
War has earned four-star ratings from a range of publications, with reviews hailing the show as slick and a rip-roaring battle of the sexes.
Writing for The Guardian, television critic Lucy Mangan praised the production as glorious delectation. Mangan wrote that the brilliant piece of balderdash, packed with money, class warfare, sex and dastardly lawyers, served as the perfect antidote to life right now, adding that viewers needed the show.
Phil Harrison, writing for the Independent, commended West's performance in the vicious legal series, stating that it skewers the wealthy and has a lot of fun in the process.
Major international outlets also offered high praise for the lead performances. The New York Times reported that Miller delivers a deeply charismatic, complicated and sympathetic performance, while industry publication Variety noted that both lead actors shine in the captivating divorce thriller.
In a four-star review for Metro, Sabrina Barr wrote that War is savage TV, describing it as a story reeking of ruthlessness that is hidden behind a perfectly polished facade of courtesy and formality. Barr noted that despite a slightly anticlimactic end, she loved the show, found it a fantastic watch, and could lap up many more seasons.
Off-Screen Chemistry and Show Inspiration
Miller spoke to People magazine about working alongside West to portray the bitter breakdown of a marriage. She noted that the more you love someone off-screen, the more fun it is to hate them on-screen.
The series was created by screenwriter George Kay, who conceived the idea while standing in an airport queue. Kay overheard a woman nearby suddenly scream "Yes!" into her telephone after learning that her bitter divorce, which had dragged on for years, was finally over with a massive financial settlement.
Intrigued by the encounter, Kay developed the story to explore the extraordinary sums of money, power struggles, and emotional warfare that accompany high-stakes breakups among the super-rich.
