'Your harshest critic is always yourself'

Diane Kruger on how the complexities of motherhood and friendship are explored in new series Little Disasters

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Diane Kruger has ditched Hollywood to star in a new British TV series alongside EastEnders' Jo Joyner - and the experience has left her exhausted.

Diane, who's best known for blockbusters like Inglourious Basterds and National Treasure, was shocked by the fast-paced filming on Little Disasters, which was shot across Budapest, France and London.

“It was an exhausting job,” she says of the six-part drama. “I don’t do that much TV so you forget how fast it is and how much work you have to do in a day. It feels like you're putting out a thousand fires just to get through the day. I found it very tiring.”

Diane, 48, stars as Jess, a mother teetering on the edge as she struggles to manage her young children - one of whom may be on the autism spectrum - while her marriage to Ed (played by JJ Feild) unravels under the pressure.

“Jess has a lot on her plate with her son possibly being on the spectrum. It's a lot of work,” Diane explains. “Her youngest isn't an easy baby, either. There’s a strain on her and she doesn’t want to admit she needs help. She feels ashamed for failing.”