Diane Kruger says her new drama Little Disasters is a true look at the intense struggles and isolation of modern motherhood. The actress explains how her own experience and the stories of friends shaped her role as a mother facing a terrifying crisis.
Based on the novel by Sarah Vaughan, this series is more than just a domestic thriller. The story centers on Jess, a stay-at-home mother of three played by Kruger. After the birth of her third child, Jess is overwhelmed by postpartum depression and frightening thoughts she cannot control. The plot spirals when she rushes her baby daughter to the hospital with a head injury she cannot explain. The examining doctor, who is also one of Jess’s oldest friends, is forced to report her to authorities. This event pulls apart the lives of four families who have been friends for a decade, revealing secrets and deep-seated judgments about parenting, marriage, and class.
Now streaming on Paramount+, the show tackles the guilt, pressure, and emotional chaos that often go unspoken. Kruger says she was drawn to the project because it tells a story many women know but few see on screen.
Why Diane Kruger Says The Show Is “Authentic And Honest”
For Diane Kruger, the power of Little Disasters is its refusal to make motherhood look easy. She describes the series as a “pretty authentic and honest look at the darkness that can be for some women”. While the actress herself did not suffer from postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter Nova in 2018, she watched close friends struggle with it. She remembers feeling confused and helpless, as if her friends had been “taken away” by something she could not understand.
This personal connection drove her to research extensively for the role. Kruger spoke with women who had experienced postpartum intrusive thoughts, focusing on their feelings of deep shame and confusion. She brought that understanding to her character, Jess, who is trapped in a nightmare of her own mind.
“She is completely overwhelmed and shut into her own nightmare, right? She is incapable of addressing it, of naming what is wrong,” Kruger explained.
The actress felt a responsibility to show Jess not as a victim, but as a fighter. In her discussions with the show’s director and writers, Kruger insisted that Jess maintain a core of toughness. Despite her fragile state, Jess is a mother who would do anything for her children.
The “Exhausting” Reality Of Filming A Mother’s Worst Fears
Playing a character in constant distress took a toll on Kruger. She describes the shoot as “very exhausting”. Jess exists in a state of high tension, and Kruger found she had to carry that anxiety with her all day, even during breaks in filming. She recalls one particularly difficult day where she filmed an emotionally draining scene about the potential loss of her child, only to have to switch to a cheerful picnic scene just hours later.
Despite the difficulty, Kruger found the process therapeutic. She saw it as a chance to safely explore fears that many new parents harbor. Being able to “lean into” those dark emotions and let them out on camera provided a sense of release. Her real-life daughter was her anchor during this intense period. Coming home to her was like “coming back to heaven,” a reminder of joy after a day spent in a character’s despair.
How The Series Tackles The Pressure To Be A “Perfect Mother”
A central theme of Little Disasters is the immense pressure society places on mothers. The very first episode is titled “The Perfect Mother,” and it opens with an idealized family scene that quickly unravels. Kruger believes this pressure is a universal experience, not just a modern one. She thinks about the struggles her own mother and grandmother must have silently endured.
The series explores this pressure through the dynamics between its four main mothers. They are friends who met in a prenatal class, but their bonds are strained by differences in wealth, career choices, and parenting philosophies. The show suggests that much of the judgment mothers face comes not just from society, but from each other. Kruger points out that topics like hating pregnancy, fearing childbirth, or choosing not to breastfeed are still shrouded in judgment, often from other women.
When asked if the perfect mother exists, Kruger’s answer is simple: “No. We all just try our best”.
More Than A Mystery: A Look At Friendships Under A Microscope
While the mystery of what happened to baby Betsy drives the plot, the heart of the series is the complex web of friendships. The investigation forces each character to reveal what they truly think of one another. These are friendships built during a vulnerable time—becoming first-time parents—but they have frayed over the years as lives diverged.
The series has been praised for giving its characters more nuance than many similar shows. Unlike other domestic thrillers where characters can be painted as simple villains or saints, Little Disasters operates in a gray area. The conflicts feel real, stemming from small, relatable jealousies and differences rather than exaggerated drama.
Kruger credits the show’s realistic tone to its creative team. The series was created by Ruth Fowler and directed by Eva Sigurðardóttir, a working mother herself. Kruger felt this perspective was crucial, saying Sigurðardóttir “really knew what she was talking about”. This female-driven perspective is part of a larger shift Kruger sees in entertainment, where women are finally able to tell more complete and honest stories about their own experiences.
Little Disasters is now available to stream in full on Paramount+. The series consists of six episodes.
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