<p id=”par-1_8″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/scoop-gillian-anderson-didnt-want-play-interviewer-emily-maitlis-netflixs-prince-andrew-movie-it-seemed-like-a-really-bad-idea.html/”>Gillian Anderson</a> and Lena Headey understood the assignment. </p>
<p id=”par-2_62″>Anderson and Headey walked the red carpet in Los Angeles on December 3 at a special screening of the new Netflix series <em>The Abandons. </em>The pair play dueling matriarchs of two frontier families in the gritty neo-Western series from <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/everything-sons-of-anarchy-creator-kurt-sutter-said-about-status-prequel-first-9.html/”><em>Sons of Anarchy </em>creator Kurt Sutter</a>. For Wednesday’s premiere event, both chose outfits that seemed to reference the show, which premiered December 4. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-lena-heady-and-gillian-anderson-step-out-at-the-abandons-premiere-in-los-angeles”>Lena Heady and Gillian Anderson step out at ‘The Abandons’ premiere in Los Angeles </h2>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Gillian-Anderson-Lena-Headey-The-Abandons.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Gillian Anderson on a horse in ‘The Abandons’; Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey at ‘The Abandons’ premiere; Lena Headey on a horse in ‘The Abandons’ ” class=”wp-image-3855558″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Gillian Anderson and Lena Headey | Michelle Faye/Netflix 2024 ©; Courtesy of Netflix; MATTHIAS CLAMER/Netflix © 2024</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-3_61″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/game-of-thrones-did-lena-headey-really-film-cersei-lannisters-walk-of-atonement-in-season-6.html/”><em>Game of Thrones </em>alum Headey</a> 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 <em>Johnny Guitar</em>.) </p>
<p id=”par-4_67″><em>The Abandons </em>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. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-abandons-stars-on-their-characters-motivations”>‘The Abandons’ stars on their characters’ motivations </h2>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”The Abandons | Official Trailer | Netflix” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/UtZ1qya0X2M?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p id=”par-5_20″>Constance and Fiona’s bitter rivalry stems from the different positions, both in terms of wealth and status and as mothers. </p>
<p id=”par-6_39″>“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 <a href=”https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2025/12/04/gillian-anderson-lena-headey-abandons-interview/2221764780382/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>UPI</a> of her ferocious character. </p>
<p id=”par-7_52″>“One way or another, I’m used to an easier course than what happens in the story,” <em>The Fall </em>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.”</p>
<p id=”par-8_19″>Meanwhile, the vanity-free Fiona, who is mom to multiple adopted kids, is committed to keeping her found family safe. </p>
<p id=”par-9_40″>“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.</p>
<p id=”par-10_21″>“Constance knows that that is a very weak spot for Fiona, so she very kindly points that out occasionally,” she added. </p>
<p id=”par-11_47″>“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.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_10″>All episodes of <em>The Abandons </em>are now streaming on Netflix. </p>
<p id=”par-13_11″><em>For more news and exclusive interviews, follow </em><a href=”https://www.instagram.com/showbizcheatsheet/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram</em></a><em>.</em></p>