Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey Were On Theme at ‘The Abandons’ Premiere
Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey understood the assignment.
Anderson and Headey walked the red carpet in Los Angeles on December 3 at a special screening of the new Netflix series The Abandons. The pair play dueling matriarchs of two frontier families in the gritty neo-Western series from Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter. For Wednesday’s premiere event, both chose outfits that seemed to reference the show, which premiered December 4.
Lena Heady and Gillian Anderson step out at ‘The Abandons’ premiere in Los Angeles
Game of Thrones alum Headey went with a cowboy-inspired look, including an orange button-down with pearl buttons and loose-fitting army-green pants. Meanwhile, Anderson chose an all-black dress with broad shoulders, mimicking her character’s penchant for dark, embellishment-free dresses. (The look also called to mind film icon Joan Crawford, who starred as a tough saloon owner in the 1954 Western Johnny Guitar.)
The Abandons is set in Washington Territory in 1854. It follows two families – one wealthy and privileged, the other a group of orphans and outcasts – who clash over land and power in the American West. (Headey’s Fiona owns land that’s home to a valuable silver deposit, and Anderson’s Constance wants it, badly.) The cast also includes Lucas Till, Diana Silvers, Nick Robinson, and Lamar Johnson.
‘The Abandons’ stars on their characters’ motivations
Constance and Fiona’s bitter rivalry stems from the different positions, both in terms of wealth and status and as mothers.
“I have a righteous pursuit and there is one thing that is in the way of that pursuit and I’m also not used to not getting what it is that I want,” Anderson told UPI of her ferocious character.
“One way or another, I’m used to an easier course than what happens in the story,” The Fall star explained. “But I’m used to being able to buy or convince or manipulate my way and the fact that I can’t seem to do that with this woman is absolutely infuriating to me.”
Meanwhile, the vanity-free Fiona, who is mom to multiple adopted kids, is committed to keeping her found family safe.
“Fiona was desperate to be a mother. She loves her [adopted] kids desperately and ferociously. I think she is insecure as a mother, because they’re not hers. So, there’s no kind of unspoken connection there. It’s all learned,” Headey said.
“Constance knows that that is a very weak spot for Fiona, so she very kindly points that out occasionally,” she added.
“Fiona is kind of of the Earth. She’s sort of in the dirt. There’s no awareness of looking a certain way or being in some way and there’s a sort of freedom to Fiona with that,” Headey said. “She’s kind of ready to defend at any point.”
All episodes of The Abandons are now streaming on Netflix.
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