In a London hotel room, Dominic West is playfully calculating his price to strip down to his socks. In the upcoming television series War, West portrays a social media billionaire who seems reasonably decent, save for one highly uncomfortable scene where he coaxes someone to strip in exchange for money, exposing a less appealing side to his character. West muses on this behaviour, suggesting that the thrill for billionaires lies in knowing people will do anything for money. His co-star, Sienna Miller, laughs and suggests he would do it “for the lols,” to which West grins and replies, “No, I’d want three figures. A hundred quid.” It’s helpful to have some sort of rapport.”. But other than that, I was doing what Sienna was avoiding, and I do all the time, which is desperately try to make people like me.”.
The series is a sharp, eight-part legal drama focusing on a divorcing couple. Miller plays a narcissistic film star, Carla Duval, who is determined to claim half the fortune of her unfaithful tech-billionaire ex-husband, played by West. Though their characters spend almost all of their scenes trading bitter insults, the actors share an excellent chemistry. Their working relationship dates back 21 years to when they co-starred in a West End production of Shakespeare’s As You Like It. Miller notes that having this shared history was a great asset during filming.
Creator George Kay wrote the role of Morgan Henderson specifically for West, having previously worked with him on the BBC drama The Hour. Finding the right angle for a “benign billionaire” was a challenge for West, who turned to the BBC podcast Good Bad Billionaire for research, discovering that very few of the super-rich are considered good unless they give their fortunes away. Meanwhile, Miller’s character battles her ex with the help of a formidable legal team. The show’s high-profile divorce is not based on real-life cases, though Kay admits one emotional scene was inspired by the real-world moment actor and director Olivia Wilde was publicly served custody papers on behalf of Jason Sudeikis. Neither Carla nor Morgan have much to recommend them.
The concept for War originated from a real-life encounter in an airport queue, where Kay overheard a woman celebrate loudly on her phone. Curiosity led him to ask what had happened, and she revealed her husband had finally signed their divorce papers after a four-year legal battle. This sparked Kay’s interest in high-stakes divorces, prompting him to explore the dramatic potential of prenups, affairs, and assets. Inspired by the American legal dramas he grew up watching, Kay brought a fast-paced, witty energy to the script, casting comedic talents like Miles Jupp and Nick Mohammed to keep the dialogue sharp and rhythmic. Kay, who previously worked with writer Abi Morgan on The Hour, notes that while Morgan’s series The Split also features divorce lawyers, his own project draws heavily on American television influences. Including Miles Jupp and Nick Mohammed as solicitors at rival firms. “People [who] are just super-sharp on the cues because if anyone slows down, it dies on its feet, it’s the reason the cast of War is so comedian-heavy. She won damages in 2011, gave evidence to the Leveson inquiry, and settled with News Group Newspapers in 2021 over alleged hacking, a victim of phone hacking by the News of the World.
Both lead actors are familiar with intense media scrutiny, though not from personal divorces. West experienced a period of intense tabloid attention regarding his marriage, while Miller was heavily hounded by paparazzi early in her career. Recalling those years, West remembers crowds outside the London theatre where they worked in 2005. Miller reflects that it now feels like a completely different world, offering an interesting sociological look at the culture of that era. Despite this past, Miller continues to take on roles dealing with public scandal and unfaithful husbands, such as her work in Anatomy of a Scandal. She laughs that she might be subconsciously trying to work through past trauma, though she notes she did not have all the scripts for War when she initially signed on. Photographers camped outside his house after photographs were published of him with his The Pursuit of Love co-star Lily James) b, west had a brief period of what might politely be called “marital scrutiny” (in late 2020. According to miller struggled, she, With a laugh, to “find the more human aspects of her, until I realised it was really fun not to.
While West has received consistent acclaim throughout his career, Miller has often felt undervalued, previously noting that public focus on her private life had impacted her professional trajectory. In War, she delivers a powerful performance, echoing her praised work in the 2018 film American Woman. At this stage in her life, Miller feels less pressure to prove herself and is less affected by public reactions. She acknowledges that while there are better roles available for older actresses today, she still regrets never playing Juliet. She recalls asking a theatre director if she could still play the role, to which West laughs and suggests they just need an older Romeo.
When asked if the series has discouraged them from ever getting divorced, West, who has been married since 2010, answers with an emphatic yes, calling it the main takeaway of the project. He recalls a wealthy friend going through a divorce who confirmed the show’s depiction of how easily love can turn to bitter hostility. Miller, who is engaged to actor Oli Green, views the legal battle as turning relationships into a commodity to be bartered, where higher levels of bitterness only serve to enrich the lawyers. Reflecting on the corrosive nature of extreme wealth, Miller notes that in her experience, the incredibly wealthy do not seem any happier. West adds that if someone possesses hundreds of billions and is not actively addressing global issues like the climate crisis, something is fundamentally wrong. War premieres on Sky Atlantic on Friday 2 October at 9pm.
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