The Housemaid

When the gates of Nina and Andrew Winchester's impeccably lavish home first swing open at the start of The Housemaid, no one can possibly imagine what they're in for inside. Certainly not the newly hired housemaid Millie Calloway who aspires to her dream job in the lap of luxury. Nor can audiences, who will find themselves on a wildly entertaining, super sexy, and insanely fun thriller through extremes of wealth, seduction, gossip, betrayal, and stone-cold payback that relentlessly begs the question of just who is manipulating whom. The result? A twisted, stylish, and irresistibly watchable thriller of social dynamics so slippery you can't stop guessing at who will come out on top.

The roller coaster starts as down-on-her-luck Millie, desperate to escape her past, sets out to serve the perfectionist Winchesters. But just beyond the storybook façade and mouth-watering décor of the Winchester home, all is not as it appears. The minute Millie moves into her cosy attic room, what seemed charming turns increasingly alarming. Nina becomes a demanding taskmaster. And meanwhile, the neighbours keep chattering about dark secrets and spicy scandals. Yet no matter the rumours, nothing could begin to hint at what is really going on behind these closed doors.

Based on the Freida McFadden book of the same name that topped global bestseller lists and dropped jaws with its shock twists, director Paul Feig builds a world of picture-perfect elegance atop so many layers of deceit they can only come crashing down spectacularly. Feig is renowned for the female-led classics like the Oscar(r)-nominated Bridesmaids (Original Screenplay and Supporting Actress, 2011). Here, he turns the tables on the bleak revenge thriller with a sumptuous beauty and all-out sense of entertainment that is nevertheless sharply pointed.

"The delicious fun of this story comes from just how extreme it gets. I always saw The Housemaid as a Nancy Meyers movie gone horribly wrong," explains Feig, referring to Meyers' signature playful romances set inside the lightest, brightest, most effortlessly idyllic of homes. "That idea inspired everything from the production design to the whole way we played it. Tension, scares, and humour constantly intertwine in this story, and it was a dream bringing that to life."

Feig zeroed in on engineering power dynamics that are so topsy-turvy audiences are repeatedly switching whose side they are on... and asking themselves which tantalising fairy tale they're buying into. "I love a story that makes you think about what you root for and what you don't," Feig says. "It puts a spotlight on the judgments we make about people, situations, and what we think we want. Sometimes, when you finally see the reality underneath things, it upends your whole view of how the world works."

As for how he controlled a narrative meticulously designed to fly madly off the rails, Feig invokes Hitchcock. "Hitchcock said it's like pulling a string. If you pull the string too far it breaks and if you don't pull it enough it sags. We set out to see just how far we could pull the string of this world without it snapping."

The film's producers saw Feig as the consummate match for a story that calls at once for pop-cinema style and wicked psychological games. "Paul is great at blending genres, as he's shown in A Simple Favour and Another Simple Favour. We loved his vision for The Housemaid, and we loved how he made the film into a twisty tale of empowerment," says producer Todd Lieberman. "For audiences who haven't read the book, the story will blow them away. And for fans who have, they're in for a deeply satisfying ride."

Laura Fischer, Feig's producing partner at Pretty Dangerous Pictures, adds, "What people loved about the book and will love in the movie is the twists never stop coming. Paul played with that in the most entertaining way possible."

Driving those twists is a trio of powerhouse performances from Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, and Brandon Sklenar. Sweeney and Seyfried, who also serve as executive producers, keep audiences scrambling as the two mirror-image women from vastly different class situations, while Sklenar explores the far limits of blinding charm. Executive producer Carly Elter notes that the movie's "excitement lies in the shifting nature of their characters - each at some point plays victim, villain, bystander, and hero, with the full secrets of who they truly are revealed only at the last minute."

Spill The Tea

Once Millie enters the Winchesters' lustrous world, she learns to abide by the rules of a social realm hinged upon status and appearances. Reputation is everything, control is paramount, and gossip, even among PTA moms, can be poison. But the more steaming tea that gets spilled about the Winchesters, the more Millie begins to wonder just what is really happening with her new employers.

Says Feig, "It was masterful how in the book how Freida McFadden set up this alluring world and then asked, you think you want all this? Guess what? It's not what you believe it is."

So was born Millie Calloway, who finds herself in an emotionally exhausting job she can't afford to lose but might have no chance to keep as she aims to satisfy the thoroughly unsatisfiable Nina Winchester. From that premise, the tale took off like a loaded freight train, upending every single expectation it set in motion. Serpentine twists multiplied and reversals of fortune kept reversing themselves as McFadden placed Millie not only into a showdown with her hypersensitive, hypercritical boss, but a situation brimming with personal deceptions, including her own, and cunning, shocking game of one-upmanship.

"The Housemaid is ultimately the story of escaping a trap, which is something that's always intrigued me," says McFadden. "We all feel for someone in a trap, and we all want to see how they might get out." A Harvard graduate and physician who treats brain injuries, McFadden first turned to writing as a creative outlet amid the stress of medical school, going on to publish several indie thrillers. But the reaction to The Housemaid erupted on a whole other level when, overnight in 2022, the novel entered cultural phenomenon territory. With readers calling the book a joyful addiction, it passed like wildfire from hand to hand.

The novel went on to sell over 3.5 million copies, spend more than 130 weeks - and counting - on The New York Times Bestseller List, and be translated into 45 different languages. But even before that happened, Lieberman and Elter, sensing the book's blockbuster potential, approached McFadden for the movie rights. "I really didn't see all that was coming," McFadden admits. "It was just surreal."

Reflects Sydney Sweeney, who was a fan of the book long before coming aboard in the role of Millie and as an executive producer, "It's one of those stories that plays directly into human fears we all share. But also, the way Freida tied together the characters, the twists, and the tonality so that you never leave the edge of your seat was something truly special. I could not put it down."

Adds Amanda Seyfried, who also joined the film as executive producer in addition to portraying Nina, "It's the kind of incredible book that completely takes you away. It's exciting, it's salacious, it's dark, and it's funny. It's all the things you crave in a good thriller and exactly the kind of story that translates beautifully into multi-dimensional life on the screen."

To tackle adapting McFadden's intricate mind games into an intensely visceral and visual ride, the filmmakers turned to screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine. The screenplay's unusually high-spirited tone for a psychological thriller, the way the boldness constantly offset the darkness, grabbed Feig instantly on first read. "It's not a comedy, but audiences will laugh, mostly because they'll be thinking 'I can't believe they just did that' or they're so excited that something they hoped would happen does finally happen. And I loved that quality Rebecca brought to it," he says.

In fact, Sonnenshine nailed something that Feig had long been in search of for a film verging on horror territory without slipping into bleakness. Feig had felt tugged towards the creative thrills of scary movies, but he absolutely did want to go dour. This script nailed the vibrancy for which he'd long been searching. "I love thrillers, but they can get very full of themselves," Feig observes. "For me, the minute you subtract the fun out of stuff, it becomes less interesting."

Sonnenshine had already demonstrated rare instincts for pushing commonplace tropes in defiantly fresh and fun directions with the lauded superhero series "The Boys," which unraveled an action-packed comic book universe into a stunning and timely examination of how power works. For The Housemaid, Sonnenshine's job was to transfer the novel's nerve-jolting shifts onto the screen. But equally vital to Sonnenshine was tapping into the universality of Millie's dilemma, her desperation to find new hope for her life even as it threatens to turn into the stuff of bad dreams.

"Who hasn't had to deal with a toxic boss or stayed in a job out of sheer desperation?" Sonnenshine reflects. "We can all relate to Millie. But also, I think we've all had a person in our life who seems to be one thing, but then things flip, and they betray you. I think that's part of why so many were drawn to this book. It reminds us of the bad boss, but also that person you liked who turned into your worst nightmare." As she began organizing the story's seen and unseen layers, Sonnenshine had a blast with the characters trading places, allowing each their moment to be profoundly empathetic and unknowable. "You root for Millie at first," Sonnenshine notes. "But then you start questioning everyone's motives, including Millie's. Is anyone a reliable narrator? That's one of the story's big mysteries."

Says Lieberman, "The brilliance of the book was the way it kept you guessing without ever letting up. Rebecca distilled that feeling, along with the novel's most compelling, essential moments, into something distinctly cinematic."

Adds Fischer, "Paul and I felt like we got to fall in love twice in rapid succession with this project: first with the novel and then with the screenplay. There were so many great and nuanced details in both that Paul was able to mine."

In Sonnenshine's sly construction, the novel's potent themes, from class warfare to the illusory nature of self-image, all hinged on the vertical layout of the Winchesters' multi-story home - and her scrambling of the traditional upstairs-downstairs divide. Equally key was poking just enough holes in what the audience believes about what they are seeing to keep them perpetually off guard.

"The script needed to first build strong emotional connections with each character and set the stakes," notes Sonnenshine. "But at the same time, there are subtle hints from the start that no one is revealing their full truth, which keeps the audience on their toes."

Beyond the home front, Millie finds the Winchesters are surrounded by a dishy, judgy, posh social circle who further blur the family's tangled history with their speculative gossip. "The moment Nina leaves the room, the other moms in the neighbourhood are like a nest of vipers," muses Sonnenshine, "and Millie is always listening, gaining new information from them."

But even the town's scandalmongers aren't seeing the full family picture. "In this story, you have to be wary of everyone and everything you hear," warns Sonnenshine.

McFadden appreciated Sonnenshine's stealth approach to building anxiety, and the results thrilled her. "Reading Rebecca's script, I got chills. All the changes they made worked," says the novelist. "Some were so good, I wished they were in the book."

For McFadden, the match of Feig with the material was perfect to imbue the story with fresh layers. She loved his vision of leaning into the Winchesters' sumptuous surfaces and social graces only to dissolve them into exhilarating chaos. "I've loved all of Paul's films. Bridesmaids, A Simple Favour, and his Ghostbusters reboot brought me great joy, and his sense of humour aligns with my own style," she concludes. "The important thing is that Paul knew exactly how to create a train wreck from which you can't look away."

Cleaning Up: Sydney Sweeney As The Housemaid

For Millie Calloway, A Housemaid Position is the chance of a lifetime. She's been living in her car, trying to get her life together, and suddenly has the opportunity to remake herself in a delightfully luxe house with an enchanting family and an open credit card. It's practically a Cinderella story in the making. Or is it? The promisingly easy relationship with the Winchesters quickly spirals as Millie becomes ensnared deeper and deeper into their most private affairs... and a dangerous maze of doubt and gaslighting.

What keeps Millie going through the hairpin curves is a resilience anchored in her own hidden past, a resilience easily underestimated. As screenwriter Sonnenshine describes her, "Millie is a funny, sharp, strong person who is bruised but unbroken. Even betrayal doesn't deter her, because she's a fighter."

Embodying this formidable force inside a sweetly affable persona is star Sydney Sweeney. Already a two-time Primetime Emmy(r) nominee, Sweeney has shot to meteoric Hollywood fame with her hugely popular roles in "Euphoria," "The White Lotus," and Anyone But You. But the role of Millie, amid a labyrinth of ruses and revelations, would be unlike any Sweeney has taken so far in her career.

"Honestly, I couldn't envision anybody else being as perfect for Millie," says Feig. "It's a tricky, challenging role because at the start Millie has to give off innocence and earnestness until you begin to find out just how complex this woman is and how much she's hiding. I knew Sydney could do that from her incredible performance as Reality Winner in Reality."

Luckily, Sweeney was already an ardent admirer of the book. "Ever since I first read The Housemaid, I was in love with Millie," she relates. "She's such a raw, vulnerable character, and she goes through such a wild journey. No matter what hits she takes, Millie is a survivor."

On set, Sweeney merged with Millie's aspirational personality in engaging ways. "Sydney brilliantly created Millie as an underdog in every sense of the word," says Fischer. "You can feel all the reasons Millie is restrained and careful right up until she isn't anymore."

She also developed a tight rapport with Seyfried, which became essential to the two leads pushing each other to keep nudging up the bar until it was sky-high. Says Seyfried of their relationship, "We really liked and appreciated one another. The thing about Sydney that makes her so right for this role is that she is, like Millie, so excited about life. When you look at Syd her eyes are always wide with curiosity. But Sydney is also a great actor, and it was so much fun watching her react as Millie to these insane circumstances." Sweeney credits Feig with giving her such a vast safety net that she felt free to explore the farthest edges of where Millie goes. "He brought an uncompromising vision to The Housemaid," she says. "He brought this story to life in a way no one else could. Every day on set he made it clear how much he respected the actors, the crew, and also the fans of the novel."

The Messy Winchesters: Amanda Seyfried As Nina Winchester

On her first trip inside the immaculate Winchester home, Millie sees Nina Winchester proving you can have it all. She's so polished. So breezy. So divinely tapped into the casual luxury lifestyle and yet, such a flawlessly devoted wife and mom she barely seems to need the services of a housemaid. But Nina soon reveals a chilling duality. Her cheery warmth can abruptly give way to flashes of impatience, superiority, and paranoia, turning Millie's job into a daily psychological minefield.

McFadden describes the character who defies every archetype of the consummate wife as "fragile yet fierce, manipulative yet desperate, evoking pity one moment and fear the next, which makes her both highly unpredictable and very real."

The role required an actor of panoramic range. The film found that emotional centrepiece in Amanda Seyfried (an Oscar(r) nominee for Mank, and a Golden Globe(r) and Primetime Emmy(r) winner for The Dropout), who relished sinking her teeth into a part that, as the story progresses, spans the pendulum of human behaviour.

"Nina is the most fun I've had with a role since Mean Girls," states Seyfried. "She's so multifaceted, and there are so many dynamics at play within her, it gave me an incredible freedom and energy. That was thrilling. And I don't think I've ever seen a character quite like this in any movie."

What you see is definitely not what you get with Nina, which meant pulling off a sleight-of-hand. "Everything you see from the outside with Nina is a very, very delicate dance," demurs Seyfried.

Seyfried's creative instincts awed Feig. "Amanda might have the hardest trajectory in the movie, because when we first meet Nina, you have to think she's the greatest person in the world. But the very next morning, you see her losing her mind in the kitchen, throwing things around, screaming at Millie. She can be yin and yang. One minute she loves you, and the next she's beating you up psychologically. Amanda was able to make those shifts emotionally authentic, which was essential. And she was masterful at unnerving Sydney with her long pauses, weird smiles, and sudden turnarounds."

Adds Fischer, "Amanda walks a tightrope in every moment, with an incredible ability to make you despise Nina, then fall back in love with her. She grounds the extremes of her character in the most human ways." Seyfried had long admired Feig. "I'd always wanted to work with Paul," she notes. "But I thought doing a thriller with him would be especially exciting. A sense of comedy never ceases to bubble up inside of him, so the way he approached the thriller elements was unlike anything I've seen before. For every wild scene, he found original angles. He was quick and efficient, but always passionate and exact about what he wanted. My expectations were high going in, and Paul beat them all."

Says Sweeney of Seyfried, "Amanda brought out so many surprising layers in Nina. I loved every minute working with her, because just as you never know what to expect from Nina, you never knew where Amanda would take things, and it was great fun keeping up with her."

As Nina turns eerily unstable, her husband Andrew becomes an unexpected anchor of patience and kindness for Millie. Trustworthy, large-hearted, generous with his good fortune, and almost ridiculously hot, Andrew has the whole upscale community gossiping about how a husband so coveted could tolerate a wife so chaotic. Comments Sonnenshine, "Andrew appears to be someone who is living out a perfect Instagram-post version of the successful life."

Taking on the many masks of Andrew Winchester is Brandon Sklenar, known for his roles in Emily the Criminal, It Ends with Us, and 1923. "Within five minutes of meeting with Brandon, I knew he was Andrew," recalls Feig. "He's this big, handsome, charismatic guy, but he's also naturally funny, and simultaneously, he was committed to examining the roots of what lies deep inside Andrew. When we first meet him, he is so sweet and romantic, a little worn down by the issues in his marriage but still devoted." Sklenar took a microscopic approach to the opaque parts of Andrew's interior. "I've never played a character like this before, or in this socio-economic world," Sklenar notes. "But with Andrew everything is about duality. He is defined by his contradictions, so I played up his sleek, boyish charms while focusing on subtle movements and glances that suggest what he might really be thinking. It was a real juggling act."

The biggest challenge? "Everything had to fit together like a puzzle in the end, but the puzzle pieces in this story are constantly changing shape," he points out.

"Andrew is such a difficult role to pull off," muses Lieberman. "But the way Brandon created him, you never see what's coming next."

Sklenar and Sweeney riff off each other in some of the movie's most heightened sequences, veering from seductive to merciless. "In these kinds of scenes, it's so important that you fully trust your scene partner," reflects Sweeney. "And with Brandon, I had that trust completely. We talked through everything together and it was freeing to feel so safe and comfortable throughout the process."

Says Sklenar of Sweeney, "Working with Syd is fantastic. She's a great actress, hyper-present, and she knows her character and this story incredibly well. As an executive producer, you can tell she truly cares about what this film is aiming to be."

Seyfried also went through a major turnabout in her scenes with Sklenar. "Andrew has so many contrasting sides to him. I loved how Brandon leaned into the nice guy and sexy dad part of him so well that it makes Nina seem even more uptight," she says.

For Sklenar, working with Seyfried in the role was like reacting to a storm. "Collaborating with Amanda was a blast," he says. "She's very free as an actor and takes Nina on such an unpredictable roller coaster ride. I was just trying to provide an anchor in those moments, watching her go off the deep end with such a clear vision of what she's doing."

Among the stately trees and winding paths of the Winchester estate, another quiet presence lingers: Enzo, the taciturn Italian gardener who shadows Millie from her first day. Though his dialogue is spare and his motives unreadable, his ever-watchful presence adds another level of suspicion that something is not quite right in the Winchester home. Sonnenshine describes, "Enzo is an enigma - but the question is whether he is menacing, clueless, or a secret ally."

Feig had in mind only one person for the role from the start: Michele Morrone, the Italian singer who became a breakout star in Netflix's erotic thriller 365 Days and also appeared in Another Simple Favour. "Michele is such a sweet, funny guy and so perfect for the role of Enzo that I asked Freida, 'Did you actually write this for Michele?' She didn't, but he was just so right. He only has a few scenes, but they're very important and leave you wanting to know much more."

The multiple generations of Winchesters also include Nina and Andrew's only daughter, Cece, portrayed by 11-year-old newcomer Indiana Elle (known for depicting a young Taylor Swift in the "Willow" video), and Andrew's well-heeled mother, played by three-time Primetime Emmy(r) nominee Elizabeth Perkins, who recently appeared in Another Simple Favour.

Though barely school-age, many mixed emotions roil beneath Cece's bratty, detached demeanour. Though steeped in frilly white clothing, gravely serious ballet lessons, and a fussy playroom replete with a custom-built dollhouse that painstakingly mirrors her own home, she seems perplexingly out of sorts. Elle leapt headfirst into the role's complexity with a maturity that impressed. "Indiana was amazing in the way she could play petulant, but at the same time she had the skill to slowly reveal a completely different second layer to Cece," says Feig.

Adds Fischer, "Indiana is incredibly grounded as an actor, but she also had a lot of fun throwing some sass around on set. She's the loveliest person behind the scenes. But as Cece, she truly brought out this wise, knowing, angry girl who is very aware of what is happening in the house around her."

As for icy Evelyn Winchester, Lieberman says, "Elizabeth Perkins was frighteningly phenomenal as Evelyn, with her striking silver hair and essence of grandeur. She is a beyond-accomplished performer, and we felt so lucky to have her in this role."

As the momentum of The Housemaid reached a fever pitch, each of the actors had to prepare for some confrontations so highly unusual that there was no playbook. Feig countered the rattling tension in the story by cultivating the very opposite on set - establishing a calm, cheery atmosphere.

Describes Fischer, "Paul likes to run a very fun, very emotionally safe set. We've found people are much more creative on a positive set, no matter the material, and that's the tone he enjoys. Things certainly get quite dark at times in this story, but the joy came from all of us working as a team to pull off these intense scenes."

Home Is Where The Secrets Are: The Design

The aim to conjure absolute mayhem on screen paradoxically meant every element of The Housemaid had to be exactingly precise. Feig collaborated with a top-notch team including cinematographer John Schwartzman, production designer Elizabeth Jones, and costume designer Ren e Ehrlich Kalfus to use camera movement, composition, and design to first craft and define the film's social hierarchies, then overturn them.

The showpiece Winchester home, with its opulent cordiality, pleasing symmetry, soaring ceilings, meandering hallways, and grand spiral staircase dividing upstairs and downstairs, would become as much of a main character as Millie and Nina. As Lieberman describes it, "Everything in this house is immaculate, everything is in its perfect place - and then we completely deconstruct it all. Across the board, the concept was that if you look just beneath the beauty, danger is lurking there. That's how our characters are. That's how the house is. And that is what we wanted the whole movie to feel like."

Part of the fun was inventing ways to turn a welcoming and gracious environment devoid of gloom into one nevertheless seething with secrets and scares. Jones, who most recently designed the Amazon series "I Know What You Did Last Summer," began with an expansive search for an irresistible house. Ultimately, she discovered a picturesque 6-bedroom estate sitting on two acres in the coveted hill section of Madison, New Jersey. With its storybook roof, soothing blue tint, and towering twin chimneys, it had an iconic American Dream Home appeal.

Fischer notes that "the house speaks not only to the idea of wish fulfilment but to Andrew's taste, which leans into a traditional, refined, old money kind of look. But then at the same time, it is a labyrinth where you always feel a little lost."

Indeed, stately as it is, the devil lies in the crisp, precise details of the Winchester house, with nuanced hints that its comfy luxury aesthetic is all a mirage, and the ever-so-elegant lines don't quite converge. "The house is so inviting at first, but when you take a closer look, Elizabeth added throughout the space subtle clues to the darker family history," says Lieberman. "Even the stunning artwork on the walls hides disturbing images. Our entire design followed this philosophy: the house should be a place the audience would love to live in... until they suddenly want to escape it."

Even the coiled, gallery-like stairs are foreboding. Says Seyfried, "I loved that intricate, looping staircase. You see it soon after you enter the house and it becomes very important to the story."

Amid the bright, light, and starkly white interior décor, Jones inserted foreboding slashes of crimson and scarlet. "Elizabeth had the great idea that among the luscious cream palette and curated look of the house, there would be vivid pops of red: a red front door, red couches in the living room, red sheets in the bedroom, and then when you get to the bottom level of Andrew's private screening room, the room is entirely red," describes Fischer.

Jones used the house's three-story verticality to further stir up themes of social mobility, contrasting the airiness of the main floor with what lies above and below: at the very top of the stairs is Mille's claustrophobic, A-framed, attic alcove while in the basement lies Andrew's sprawling, indulgent, and off-limits man cave. The attic was custom built as a separate set. Following the book, the room is spare, but Jones aimed to give it just enough flair to feel like a real step up for Millie from living in her car.

"It had to be just nice enough for Millie to really want the job," Feig muses. "It's small and cramped but we gave it just a bit of a cute, quaint, Laura Ashley feeling. And then Elizabeth's team built in removable ceiling pieces so we could move the camera around this very tight space."

Cinematographer John Schwartzman, ASC, an Oscar(r) nominee for Seabiscuit and a long-time collaborator with Feig on multiple projects, further exposed the house's twin natures with his meticulous framing and lighting. "John chose low angles that are ominous and threatening. The angles bring an exciting shift in perspective that reveals the deeper psychological layers in the dynamics," Elter describes.

For the actors, Schwartzman's kinetic shooting was a bonus. "I felt I could do whatever the character needed to do, and the camera was going to follow me," notes Seyfried.

The more the characters lose control, the more the polish decays. Explains Fischer, "John even shifted the colour texture over the course of the film so these gorgeous spaces that are so warm at first start to feel colder and scarier. The distances between the characters appear greater, and the camerawork starts to suggest a feeling of being cornered."

In the paradoxical manner of a daylight noir, Schwartzman and Feig used the sun to further crank the tension and throw light on what is or isn't the truth. "I find there's nothing scarier than terrible things happening in bright sunlight," remarks Feig. "It's so real life. And there's nowhere to hide. With its many windows the house afforded us that, so we took full advantage of it. I loved that the house had fireplaces everywhere, so even in the dark, a fire is always going."

For the cast, the unique mix of tasteful and threatening that Feig and his design team conjured proved utterly transporting. "The production design really brought the world to life, and it stays incredibly true to the book." says Sklenar. He continues, " The art, the furniture, the lines... The house is almost exactly how I imagined it."

Once the home's layout had been crafted, Jones recreated it down to the studs for Cece's perfect replica dollhouse, which disorients Millie with its peculiarly situated dolls. As Sweeney explains, "The dollhouse has a huge and haunting significance to the story."

"Cece's dollhouse acts as a bit of a secret psychological roadmap to the Winchesters," comments Feig. "It was quite an ordeal to create because custom dollhouses take a lot of skill, but Elizabeth gave us something really special that becomes a metaphor for what is going on in this family."

The Wardrobe

The Winchesters dress for success and clothing became another vital means of defining how each character wishes to be seen. Award-winning costume designer Ren e Ehrlich Kalfus (Hidden Figures) was thrilled to reunite with Feig after a fruitful collaboration on A Simple Favour - and she loved the idea that Millie, Nina, and Andrew might themselves think in the way costume designers do, consciously choosing looks to craft very specific images.

"Outward appearances are everything to the Winchesters," Kalfus notes, "and clothes help layer the story."

Millie arrives at the Winchester house trying to fake it until she makes it, putting together whatever thrifted outfits she can whip up from her small duffel bag. Says Sweeney, "Our hair, makeup, and costume teams really helped me to build Millie from the ground up. She moves into the Winchester house with just a pair of jeans, a couple tops, a cardigan, and two pairs of shoes, and has to try to make that work. Nothing's new, nothing's crisp. But when she has dinner one night with Andrew, she becomes for a moment this idealized version of herself, and it was really fun to play with that big transformation."

Adds Kalfus, "For the scene where Sydney wears Amanda's dress, we used a Chanel-inspired white tweed outfit that echoes how Andrew sees Amanda. Rather than use something extremely sexy, it was about staying true to what the characters desire."

For Nina, Kalfus envisioned an elevated palette "of creams and whites, very monochromatic, all in luxurious fabrics of cashmere, silk, and satin," she describes. "Nina is the kind of woman who goes to PTA meetings in pristine white clothes and never even cares. But as the story progresses, you notice she's not layering quite as perfectly as she did when we first meet her, her Hermes scarves start going a bit askew, and when you start seeing her roots, you realize she is headed for turmoil."

Andrew's wardrobe was just as particular, with Kalfus aiming for a well-bred East Coast look that might have walked out of the pages of a GQ magazine, rife with classic black turtlenecks and pricey leisure wear. "The image Andrew presents reinforces the idea that he's a long-suffering husband. He's very straight and clean and just a little rumpled in an adorable way that makes people comfortable with him," she explains.

In Theaters

As the movie's ever-changing guessing game amps up, the elegant ease of the Winchester's world fractures, then implodes, while Feig craftily employs every element of filmmaking to reverse the very atmosphere he so painstakingly fostered. The ravishing visuals and larger-than-life performances, along with a killer soundtrack and moments that will have audiences gasping in unison, combine to make THE HOUSEMAID a quintessential big-screen movie.

Sums up Feig, "Audiences are going to have a lot of fun watching this movie together because those communal reactions are something you just can't get in your living room. We really engineered this film for an audience to respond to live and in the moment. I'm excited for people to have that experience."

About The Cast

Two-time Primetime Emmy(r)-nominated actress and producer Sydney Sweeney ("Millie Calloway") has become one of the most sought-after talents of her generation, captivating global audiences with her many buzzworthy, critically acclaimed, and iconic roles.

Sweeney recently starred in the Apple Original Films thriller Echo Valley opposite Julianne Moore and Domhnall Gleeson. From a script by "Mare of Easttown" creator Brad Ingelsby, the film follows a woman (Moore) who is reeling from a personal tragedy and spends her days boarding and training horses at Echo Valley Farm, 22 secluded, picturesque acres in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Late one night, her wayward daughter (Sweeney) arrives at her doorstep, frightened, trembling, and covered in someone else's blood.

She also recently appeared in the biographical sports drama Christy for Black Bear Pictures and her shingle, Fifty-Fifty Films. Directed by David Mich d, the film chronicles Christy Martin's (Sweeney) rise to becoming America's most well-known female boxer in the '90s, and her attempted murder by her husband (Ben Foster) in 2010. Sweeney's commitment to authentically embodying Martin is evident through her intensive physical training and transformation for the role. The film aims to shed light on Martin's inspiring journey, both inside and outside the ring, highlighting themes of perseverance and empowerment.

In addition, Sweeney starred in the psychological horror film Immaculate for Black Bear Pictures, which she developed alongside producer David Bernad, following their highly successful collaboration on The White Lotus. Reteaming with director Michael Mohan, Sweeney stars as a woman of devout faith who is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent. Neon acquired the rights to the film in North America and it was released in theaters on March 22, 2024. The Wrap called her performance a "revelation," "achieving something transcendent," and Variety said she delivered "a miraculous performance." Also in 2024, Sweeney starred opposite Glen Powell in Will Gluck's romantic comedy Anyone But You, which she also produced. It became a global box-office phenomenon, achieving $200M+ in ticket sales. The film was nominated for a 2024 People's Choice Award in the category of Comedy Movie of the Year, and Sweeney was nominated for her role as Bea in the category of Comedy Movie Star of the Year.

Sweeney's film Reality marked her international film debut at the 2023 Berlinale Film Festival with the film's world premiere, where she played former U.S. Air Force translator and whistleblower Reality Winner. She received numerous accolades from film critics including The Hollywood Reporter, calling her performance "expertly calibrated." Variety said, "Sweeney's every flicker of emotion, micro-reaction, evasion, and retraction, is utterly believable," and Collider called the film "her best performance yet." She was nominated for a 2024 Critics Choice Award in the category of Best Actress for a Movie Made for Television, and the film won a Peabody Award in the Entertainment category and was nominated for a Gotham Award in the category of Best Feature.

As the standout character Cassie in HBO's Euphoria, Sweeney's exceptional work in Season 2 captured the attention of viewers, earning her a 2022 Primetime Emmy(r) nomination for her performance in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Her role also earned a People's Choice Award nomination for The Drama TV Star of 2022. According to Rolling Stone, "Sweeney fiercely commits to every last whiplash turn of Cassie's emotional journey this year." Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on HBO Max. She is currently in production on season 3 which is set to premiere in 2026.

Prior to the second season of Euphoria, Sweeney's name was on everyone's lips due to her turn as the seemingly woke millennial Olivia who dished out side-eye and microaggressions every chance she had in HBO's The White Lotus. The series premiered in 2021 and received multiple Primetime Emmy(r) Awards including Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. The series won a 2021 AFI Award for TV Program of the Year and a 2022 Hollywood Critics Association TV Award for Best Broadcast Network or Cable Limited or Anthology Series. Sweeney herself also received a 2022 Primetime Emmy(r) nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her work.

Her other recent roles include Julia Carpenter (aka Spider-Woman) in Sony's Marvel film Madame Web; Penny Jo in the film Americana, which premiered at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival, starring opposite Simon Rex and Halsey; the Ron Howard-directed survival thriller Eden, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, alongside Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Br hl, and Jude Law; Amazon's psychosexual thriller, The Voyeurs, in which she stars opposite Justice Smith; Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood; Amazon and Blumhouse's Nocturne; an unforgettable arc in Season 2 of Hulu's award-winning series The Handmaid's Tale; as Eden, a pious and obedient teenager whose dreams of becoming a commander's wife come to an untimely end; HBO's high-profile miniseries Sharp Objects based on Gillian Flynn's award-winning novel; and A24's neo-noir film, Under the Silver Lake, as the Shooting Star helping Andrew Garfield's Sam on his winding journey of discovery through the dark underground of Los Angeles.

The inception of Sweeney's production company, Fifty-Fifty Films, came from the desire to reclaim professional autonomy by identifying and giving wind to projects she finds interesting, challenging, and relevant. Partnering with Jonathan Davino in 2019, Fifty-Fifty Films continues to remain focused on building impactful projects that are inclusive and purposeful. Currently in development as starring vehicles are The Registration, for Sony Pictures, based on Madison Lawson's novel, with Fuller Media and The Caretaker for Universal Pictures, alongside Michael Bay and Brad Fuller for Platinum Dunes.

Amanda Seyfried ("Nina Winchester") received both Academy Award(r) and Golden Globe(r) nominations for her portrayal of Marion Davies in David Fincher's critically acclaimed film, Mank. Notably, for her portrayal of Elizabeth Holmes in Hulu's The Dropout, Seyfried won a Primetime Emmy(r) Award, Golden Globe(r) Award, and Critics Choice Award, and she was selected as one of Time magazine's TIME100 for 2022.

Her other credits include Seven Veils, Chloe, Long Bright River, The Crowded Room, Things Heard & Seen, A Mouthful of Air, Mamma Mia!, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, First Reformed, Lovelace, Les Mis rables, Dear John, Jennifer's Body, While We're Young, Ted 2, A Million Ways to Die in the West, In Time, Letters to Juliet, Mean Girls, Nine Lives, Big Love, and Alpha Dog.

Seyfried can also be seen in Mona Fastvold's historical drama musical The Testament of Ann Lee, which was acquired by Searchlight Pictures and debuted at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival.

Brandon Sklenar ("Andrew Winchester") is best known for his breakout role as Spencer Dutton in Taylor Sheridan's 1923 for Paramount (the second prequel to Yellowstone), in which he stars opposite Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. The show broke records as the most-watched premiere ever on Paramount. Sklenar can also be seen in Sony's film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel It Ends with Us in the role of Atlas Corrigan. The film released on August 9, 2024, and grossed over $300 million at the global box office. Sklenar reprised his role as Spencer in the highly anticipated season 2 of 1923, which released on February 23, 2025, and in Blumhouse and Universal's thriller, Drop, which released on April 11, 2025.

In 2022, Sklenar won the award for Best Actor at the Vienna Independent Film Festival for his role as Sean Graves in Futra Days. Additional credits include playing the role of Burt Reynolds in the series The Offer opposite Miles Teller; in Adam McKay's film Vice as Bobby Prentace; and in Midway as George Gay.

With a powerful leading man presence and multifaceted talents, Michele Morrone ("Enzo") has quickly become a global sensation, hitting worldwide screens in a multitude of diverse upcoming roles this year.

Morrone can be seen starring opposite Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick in Amazon's Another Simple Favor, directed by Paul Feig, which began streaming on Amazon Prime May 1. Next, Morrone will star opposite Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Alba in Maserati: The Brothers, directed by Academy Award(r)-winning filmmaker Bobby Moresco.

Morrone most recently wrapped production for the Italian superhero movie Bunny-Man, joining Mike Tyson, Bella Thorne, and James Franco with Andrea Iervolino producing. He previously starred opposite Megan Fox in the sci-fi thriller Subservience. Notably, Morrone was the breakout star of 365 Days on Netflix in June of 2020. The film broke several records for the streaming platform, having been in the domestic and global top 10 for 45 consecutive days, 12 of which it was #1. In 2022, Morrone reprised his role in 365 Days: This Day and The Next 365 Days.

Morrone's current global record deal released his debut album Dark Room with Universal Music in 2022. In January 2023, he released his most recent single "Push Me", off the album Double. Morrone also wrote and performed several songs for the 365 Days trilogy, including the single "Angels" (2022), which was featured in The Next 365 Days. He has a following of over 1.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify and over 15 million followers on Instagram.

Morrone currently resides in Milan, Italy.

Elizabeth Perkins ("Mrs. Winchester") is an American actress known for her versatile performances in film and television. After graduating from the Goodman School of Drama at DePaul University in Chicago, she began her acting career in theater, appearing in off-Broadway productions and working with prestigious theater companies like Playwrights Horizon, the Ensemble Studio, The New York Shakespeare Festival, and the Steppenwolf Theater.

Perkins made her film debut in About Last Night starring alongside Rob Lowe and Demi Moore, and then gained recognition for her role opposite Tom Hanks in the 1988 classic, Big. Throughout her career, Perkins has showcased her talent in a variety of genres, from comedy to drama including Barry Levinson's Avalon, The Doctor, The Flintstones, Miracle on 34th Street, Must Love Dogs, 28 Days, The Ring Two, Moonlight and Valentino, Moonlight in Alabama, Jiminy Glick in Lalawood, He Said, She Said, The Thing About My Folks, and many others.

On television, she earned critical acclaim for her role as Celia Hodes in Showtime's dark comedy series Weeds (2005-2009), which garnered her multiple Primetime Emmy(r) and Golden Globe(r) nominations. Perkins continued to appear in both television and film, with roles in TV series such as Sharp Objects, Truth Be Told, My Sisters Keeper, If These Walls Could Talk, Glow, Stories of Courage: Two Women, How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life), From the Earth to the Moon, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and This Is Us. Her distinctive presence and sharp comedic timing have made her a beloved and respected figure in Hollywood.

Indiana Elle ("Cece Winchester") is a 10-year-old actor who has her first lead role in The Housemaid. She first found fame in a Jimmy Kimmel Live skit that went viral (twice), as well as starring as a young Taylor Swift in the music video "Willow". Indiana also has a supporting role in the upcoming Ben Stiller comedy The Dink. Her recent television appearances include episodes of No Good Deed, Ted and Lessons in Chemistry.

Born in New York City, Elle currently lives in Hollywood with her mom, dad, older brother Wyatt Axel, and two Great Danes. In her spare time, she plays tennis and performs in a rock band.