We spoke with young actress Amiah Miller upon the release of her film Hold Your Breath, a period thriller where she plays the daughter of an increasingly troubled mom played by Emmy winner Sarah Paulson. It takes place back in the 1930s as a secluded Oklahoman community battles increasingly hostile dust storms while Paulson’s character slowly loses her grip on reality. Miller is no stranger to period projects and will star in the upcoming Yellowstone spinoff The Madison alongside Michelle Pfeiffer.
“It’s a really special project, and I’m so grateful. It was such a dream come true. I’ve always wanted to work with Taylor Sheridan,” Miller told MovieWeb. “I met him at the screen test. And you know, I fought for the role, and I booked it, and yeah, it’s going really well. And we’re filming right now in Montana, and I had never been there before. It’s so beautiful, and everyone is so lovely… You’re really gonna like the show.”
Miller continued sharing her love for Sheridan’s many projects:
“1883 is my favorite of his. I mean, I love a period piece, obviously [given Hold Your Breath]. That one’s my favorite. But he’s so talented. He is such a busy man. Like, he will be editing one show and then writing another show, and then at the wrap party . And I’m just like, ‘How are you doing all of this? I don’t understand.’ But yeah, he’s such a force, and I’m so grateful that he believed in me and gave me the part. And he called me himself and offered . He was like, ‘Hey Amiah, it’s Taylor. You want to be in my show?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I sure do, Taylor!”
On Learning ‘So Much’ from Sarah Paulson
Before The Madison is released to the masses, fans can enjoy seeing Miller steal her scenes in Hold Your Breath, with the mother-daughter-dynamic she creates with Paulson feeling truly authentic. “The great thing about working with Sarah was, like you said, it felt authentic. I was just reacting off of her, you know, I wasn’t acting. And that’s like, what more could you ask for?” Miller told us. She added:
” I’ve always believed that if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room , you know? And I learned so much from her and, you know, I learned so much just from sitting back and watching her just transform into this completely other person. I love to just absorb that. And yeah, I feel like I grew a lot as an actress just being in her presence.”
And Miller confirmed to us that she was already a huge fan of Paulson’s before joining Hold Your Breath. “I loved Ratched, loved American Horror Story,” she said. “I mean, I knew all about her, and when I saw that she was attached, because I hadn’t read the script yet, but I saw that Margaret was Sarah Paulson, I was like, ‘Oh, this is going to be good… I want this part.’ So I’m glad that it worked out.”
