Fresh from plotting the rise of the machines in Westworld and singing sweet lullabies in Frozen 2, Evan Rachel Wood is turning to crime. In a role, of course – she’s the star of Kajillionaire, the latest film from Me And You And Everyone We Know writer-director Miranda July, a con-artist comedy that doubles as an unexpectedly emotional family drama. Wood plays Old Dolio, a young woman who’s been raised by her swindling parents (played by Richard Jenkins and Debra Winger) to be their accomplice – but when a new scam brings Gina Rodriguez’s outsider Melanie into the mix, the family dynamic is shaken up for good.
“It’s made more extreme in the movie, but I do think there’s a kind of inherent betrayal built into parenting,” July tells Empire, digging into the themes of the film. “As a child, you’ll betray your parents. You’ll leave them. Not just leave them but reverse your position, your alliances.” It was a parallel with con movie tropes that surprised even July. “It came from my unconscious,” she says. “I was like, ‘Really, Miranda? A funny heist film? Where is this going?’ And then I felt punched in the gut by the time I read back that first draft.”
Read Empire’s full Kajillionaire story in the Duneissue, on sale Thursday 3 September and [available to pre-order now](https://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/empire-october-2020-cover-2?utm_source= dynamic&utm_medium=bws&utm_content=dunescover2&utm_campaign=empire_singles). Kajillionaire is expected to arrive in UK cinemas from 9 October.