Defined Magazine

Diane Kruger On Womanhood

21st November, 2025

Words Rebecca Cope

Photos Rachell Smith

Dress & scarf ACNE STUDIOS, Necklace CHAUMET, Gloves MAISON LAZAROVSKA

Diane Kruger first came to fame playing the most beautiful woman in the world in 2004’s Troy, but it has always been her talent that set her apart: playing an Allied spy in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, for which she received a Screen Actors’ Guild Award nomination; as a woman whose husband and son are murdered by Neo-Nazis in her German language debut, Into the Fade, which won her the Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Award; and mastering three simultaneous roles in David Cronenberg’s thriller The Shrouds.

Her two latest projects explore some of the major themes that define the female experience: beauty, ageing, motherhood and competition between women. In Little Disasters, an adaptation of the Sarah Vaughan novel of the same name, she plays Jess, a seemingly perfect mother of three whose life is turned upside down when social services intervene after she takes her baby to A&E. Then, in The Seduction, HBO's French language prequel to Dangerous Liaisons, she is Rosemonde, an 18th century society woman obsessed with her fading looks, who sees an opportunity to rediscover her place in society by manipulating a new young ingénue.

Here, she talks about how she is defining herself at this moment in time.

Dress & shoes CHLOE, Bracelet & ring CHAUMET

Jess in Little Disasters is a seemingly perfect mother whose life is thrown into chaos after she’s accused of injuring her child - what made you want to take that on at this moment in your life?

I had just become a mother – my child was six at the time – and I thought it was a very realistic look at the spectrum of motherhood. I didn’t go through postpartum depression myself, but many of my friends did. The challenges of motherhood and the community of women it takes to get through those first years are so intense. It’s such a unique moment in a woman’s life and affects relationships deeply. I felt the story showed something rarely seen on TV, and it was entertaining and clever.

How do you prepare for a role which is so different to your own experience of motherhood?

A lot of it was about understanding where she was coming from. I don’t know if you can fully prepare for that. I had firsthand experience with people who struggled and needed help after childbirth. It comes from the heart. I also liked that the script didn’t judge different types of parenting – there’s no right or wrong way, though we all judge sometimes.

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Was there any part that resonated with you personally?

I think all women strive to be the best moms they can be. I can relate to the mom guilt, but I’m not as much like Jess, trying to project perfection. I’m more likely to say, “I really need help here.”

Why do you think we’re seeing more honest portrayals of the postpartum experience now?

Because more women are in decision-making positions. As more female writers, producers, and executives share their experiences, they greenlight stories like this. It’s a great time to be a woman – there’s a real market and need for female stories.

The show reveals how judgmental women can be of each other. Do you think it’s important to investigate that?

100%. I live it every day. We all judge ourselves and others, even when we don’t mean to. Motherhood can be isolating, and without other mothers going through the same thing, I don’t know how I’d have made it through the first two years. It’s such a learning curve.

Dress & shoes ASHI STUDIO, Earrings BOUCHERON

The Seduction revisits a classic that has been adapted so powerfully before, what pulled you in?

France is finally entering its golden era of television. With HBO and Apple now here, there are a lot of great local productions. At first, I thought, “Do I really want to do another adaptation of Dangerous Liaisons?” But when I read it, something clicked. These classic stories still resonate because they reflect human nature, but they’re usually told from a male perspective. It’s the same story, but through the female gaze, which I found fresh and interesting. I felt I could bring something to that.

Your character, Rosemonde, is fixating on her fading looks. Why was that interesting for you to explore?

Especially in those days, society was even more youth-obsessed than now. Women had fewer opportunities if they didn’t have beauty. I loved that Rosemonde chose to live her life like a man – independent, unmarried, a libertine. She was fighting against the gilded cage built by men. But in 18th-century France, once your youth fades, you lose power. She sees an opportunity to re-enter society by manipulating a young woman. It’s a modern story about female power and rebellion. There’s a great line – “I want fear to change sides” – and that really struck me. It’s about pushing the cage open so the next generation can go further.

Top NORMANMABIRELARGUIER, Earrings CHOPARD

How do you think your looks have impacted your own career?

I was a model, so I made a career out of that. I’ve taken advantage of what I was given, but I appreciate it more now. Acting changed my perception of beauty – it’s not just physical. I quit modeling partly because the pursuit of an unrealistic ideal wasn’t satisfying. Once you change your perspective, everything else falls into place.

You once said that fashion is an art form, and wearing it is a form of self expression. Do you still feel that way?

Yes, especially since I don’t get to dress up very often in real life anymore. Once you become a mother, you develop certain staples. I used to really enjoy fashion before I had kids. The red carpet has become a way to tell a story, to reflect the mood of a movie. It’s such an extraordinary moment – when else would you wear those beautiful clothes? It gives you that feeling, like getting married, every time you step out there.

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Have you always been interested in fashion?

Yes, even growing up in the countryside in Germany. When I was 12 or 13, that was the era of the supermodels – Claudia Schiffer was the coolest person on the planet. They seemed like these impossible Amazons you’d see in Vogue. I’ve always been interested in how clothes and make-up together can tell a story. Moving to Paris taught me a lot. Parisians have this innate sense of style. They’re quite casual, especially on the red carpet, which I love. The theatrics of the red carpet are a very American invention, but I enjoy that too.

And you do your own makeup a lot…

I’d say about 60% of the time. Sometimes they use make-up artists I love; it depends on timing. Not every red carpet needs a full make-up look. A lot of it is lost under the bad lighting anyway. There’s something really nice about getting ready by yourself, too. It’s such a stressful moment, with so many people around and a time crunch. Having that one hour to do your own make-up can be really nice.

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Do you still enjoy photoshoots?

I used to model, so I’ve done a lot of them. It depends who it’s with. When I started out, around 1993 or 1994, there was no digital. A lot of time was spent getting the light right and checking Polaroids to see how they looked. There was always a slight surprise about what would be chosen and how the story would ultimately look. I really enjoyed that process. You had to know your craft, and if you were going to be a good photographer or get to work for a magazine, you really had to know what you were doing. Some of that has been lost now that everything can be seen and tweaked right away. [The Defined cover shoot] was really creative. It’s not every day you do a photo shoot with such a strong sense of what could be done. The photographer was very collaborative, and it’s nice to work with another artist.

The Seduction will debut exclusively November 14, 2025 on HBO in the U.S. and on Max in all other territories.

Little Disasters will stream exclusively December 11, 2025 on Paramount+.