--- description: "I miss how Chris changed the feeling in the room when he was in it." title: Widow of the Real 'American Sniper' Calls Movie's Success a "Blessing" image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b8dd3944d72f104/69877c4655a85944cda857e8/people-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Widow of the Real _American Sniper_ Calls Movie's Success a 'Blessing'  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 28, 2015 1:30 PM CUT  Chris and Taya Kyle on the cover of PEOPLE Chris and Taya Kyle on the cover of PEOPLE  by [Nolan Feeney](/author/nolan-feeney/)  ## Nolan Feeney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 28, 2015 1:30 PM CUT Taya Kyle, the wife of the most lethal sniper in U.S. history, says the man who inspired the box-office hit _American Sniper_ was “the biggest kid” at heart. [In an interview with _People_](http://www.people.com/article/chris-kyle-taya-kyle-their-love-story-american-snipe-cover-story?xid=socialflow%5Ftwitter%5Fpeoplemag "undefined"), Kyle opens up about the loss of her husband, who was shot dead in 2013, allegedly by a fellow veteran who goes on trial next month. “I miss those family dinners where we would joke with the kids,” Taya, 40, says. “I miss the way he laughed at the littlest things with me and the way the kids and I couldn’t wait for him to come home from work. I miss how Chris changed the feeling in the room when he was in it.” _American Sniper_, which is based on Chris Kyle’s memoir, has grossed more than $200 million since its nationwide opening on Jan. 16, and it’s also earned six Oscar nominations. Kyle says she’s comforted by the way her husband’s story is resonating with veterans and general audiences. “I can’t think of a better blessing,” she says. [_Read more at People.com._](http://www.people.com/article/chris-kyle-taya-kyle-their-love-story-american-snipe-cover-story?xid=socialflow%5Ftwitter%5Fpeoplemag "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3685640/american-sniper-taya-kyle-interview/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3685640/american-sniper-taya-kyle-interview/"},"headline":"Widow of the Real American Sniper Calls Movie's Success a 'Blessing'","datePublished":"2015-01-28T13:30:40.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T03:56:15.866Z","description":"\"I miss how Chris changed the feeling in the room when he was in it\"","url":"https://time.com/3685640/american-sniper-taya-kyle-interview/","keywords":["movies","bradley cooper","American Sniper"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b8dd3944d72f104/69877c4655a85944cda857e8/people-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Nolan Feeney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/nolan-feeney/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b8dd3944d72f104/69877c4655a85944cda857e8/people-cover.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"People cover","caption":"Chris and Taya Kyle on the cover of PEOPLE","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3685640/american-sniper-taya-kyle-interview/","name":"Widow of the Real American Sniper Calls Movie's Success a 'Blessing'"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"10 Questions with American Sniper Chris Kyle","description":"Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, who earned two Silver Stars in Iraq, explains the sniper's point of view","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PpZTJML8/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2012-01-05T23:07:27.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PpZTJML8.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3685640/american-sniper-taya-kyle-interview/","duration":"PT6M10S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3685640/american-sniper-taya-kyle-interview/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```