In Defense of ... Sienna Miller

It's easy to understand why the public harbors some ill will toward 'G.I. Joe' star Sienna Miller. She's done a couple things to "offend."

Most notoriously, Miller became a media punching bag when photos surfaced of her -- topless -- snogging the then-married father of four Balthazar Getty.

While filming 'The Mysteries of Pittsburgh' on location -- and apparently not finding Pittsburgh remotely mysterious -- Miller invoked the ire of the city of when she referred to it as "Shittsburgh" in an interview with Rolling Stone.

But we all deserve a second third chance, right? So put down that bottle of Haterade for a second and sip on these five reasons to give Miller another shot.
-- By Kevin Polowy

1. She's actually a really good actress.
Miller gets so much more attention for her personal life than her film roles, many of which have been solidly impressive. Typically favoring artier fare over mainstream movies (before 'G.I. Joe,' anyway), she stunned 007 in 'Layer Cake,' went toe-to-toe with Steve Buscemi in 'Interview' and in her best turn yet, delivered a raw and affecting performance in the Edie Sedgwick-Andy Warhol buddy drama 'Factory Girl.'

2. She should get some sympathy votes, too.
Double standard? It's doubtful the same critics who blasted Miller for the Getty fiasco were tearing into Jude Law with the same ferocity when in 2005, the actor admitted to cheating on Miller with their nanny (ouch). Meanwhile, "Sienna Miller" and "homewrecker" yields exactly 12,400 results on Google, while "Balthazar Getty" and "unfaithful d-bag" yields exactly none.

3. She's candid...
...which seems go hand-in-hand with being British, now that we think about it (see also Radcliffe, Daniel). Celebrity candidness can make for some great soundbites ("Once I snogged the gardener," she said of going to an all-girls private school), but the accompanying non-political correctness can get stars in trouble, too (a la "Shittsburgh"). Miller speaks her mind, and candor is refreshing. She even once admitted she thought 'Con-Air' was "genius." She's that frank.

4. She's quirky.
She's also super-sexy, with a killer bod, but what kind of reason is that? Pig. But a combination of sexy and quirky, this we can feel sleaze-free about using as a justification. The smokin' hot quirky Miller named her dogs Porgy and Bess after the Gershwin opera. She also once made out with Steve Buscemi (in the movie 'Interview'). What's quirkier than that? (FYI, you can see ALL of Miller's quirkiness on display in 'Factory Girl').

5. Everyone else seems to dislike her.
And since when did you start following everyone else? If everyone else jumped off of a started hating Jeff Bridges, would you follow? In all seriousness, though, in today's celebrity-obsessed culture, hatred for the stars so often plastered across tabloids can be highly contagious, each action or quote then exaggerated or overblown as a result. Miller made one truly embarrassing mistake and got caught with her pants down shirt off. It's about time we get over it.