The Odyssey’s Samantha Morton's sister died a year after real father's death. Now she's opening up about their past. "Trauma is a constant battle"
Samantha Morton has opened up about the deaths of her sister and father, whilst reflecting on a childhood including instability, abuse and being a part of the care system.
The 49-year-old actor, who plays Circe in Christopher Nolan’s hit film The Odyssey, has never hidden the fact that her early life was far removed from the world of red carpets and awards ceremonies.
Born to factory worker Pamela and coal miner Peter, Morton was one of nine siblings and spent much of her youth moving between foster families, children’s homes and homeless hostels.
Alongside her mother’s mental health issues, her father struggled with alcoholism, and Morton has previously spoken about how survival became the driving force behind many of the choices she made.
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Now, those memories have taken on even greater weight following two devastating losses within her family.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Morton revealed that her sister died on April 22 this year at the age of 53, around 18 months after the death of her biological father.
She said: “The past never leaves you…”
“It’s in your DNA, and trauma is a constant battle. My relationship with my past changes as I age and my children age, but things keep happening.”
Morton continued: “I sadly lost my sister on April 22 this year. She was 53. And I am still dealing with the coroners. And the trauma.”
“I lost my real father 18 months ago. Trauma. So the past is always with me, and I’m not saying I’m not going to be all right next week, but every day I wake, say a prayer and say, ‘Please help me.’”
The actor also looked back on how she was forced to become resilient long before finding success on screen.
She said: “Someone told me I was resilient when I was younger. But sometimes you’ve got no choice other than to be resilient because if you are not you’re dead…”
“I went pillar to post with foster families, homeless hostels, sleeping by the bins at the back of the Co-op, because it was too dangerous to go back to the children’s home because of the abuse.”
Morton added: “I have made choices that have always been about survival, because I watched my mum trying to survive and I watched my dad trying to survive.”
Her past also became part of the way she approached Circe in The Odyssey, particularly during a monologue about men abusing power.
Morton explained: “These weren’t just words. I believe them as Sam, not just Circe. And when I opened my mouth, I was every woman.”
“I was speaking for my mother, who suffered all sorts at the hands of men. And my sister, friends, grandmother. It was all the wrongs and ways that women have been depicted or treated forever.”
As noted by The Independent, Morton received Oscar nominations for Sweet and Lowdown and In America, and was awarded the Bafta Fellowship in 2024.
Accepting the honour, she dedicated it to ‘every child in care, or who has been in care and who didn’t survive’.
Topics: Mental Health, Entertainment, Film and TV, Celebrity
Ben Williams