“The Housemaid” A Psychological Thriller!
Los Angeles, US, Dec 18 (EFE).– By Mónica Rubalcava.-
Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried portray characters who blur the line between victim and perpetrator in “The Housemaid,” a psychological thriller that tackles domestic violence from an unconventional angle.
“It was very cathartic to lose my mind,” Seyfried told EFE.
Directed by Paul Feig, the film opens in theatres on Friday and follows Millie Calloway (Sweeney), a young woman facing severe financial hardship who arrives at the lavish yet unsettling home of the Winchester family.
There, she is hired by Nina (Seyfried) as a live-in housekeeper.
With little more than a backpack of clothes and an old car, Millie moves into a small room at the top of the house, a space without ventilation or a lock, a detail that immediately plants a sense of unease.
“The fascinating and fun thing about these characters and their relationship is that they seem complete, like everything is perfect on the outside,” Sweeney said.
“But when you peel back the layers, you discover something completely different. It’s very fun to play characters who are not what they seem.”
Based on the novel of the same name by Freida McFadden, “The Housemaid” blends psychological thriller elements with dark comedy and romantic tension.
Brandon Sklenar co-stars as Andrew Winchester, the seemingly perfect husband whose role in the household’s power dynamics is both seductive and ambiguous.
The relationship between Millie and Nina evolves through a constantly shifting balance of power, in which manipulation and domestic violence extend beyond the marriage and ensnare the housekeeper, trapped in a structure of control.
Playing Nina allowed Seyfried to explore a wide emotional range, portraying a woman marked by rage, envy and jealousy.
Understanding that revenge drives the character was essential, she said. “Not as a fleeting emotion, but as an impulse that pushes her to tear others down in an ugly but necessary way,” she said, revealing the character’s moral complexity.
On screen, Seyfried’s character spirals into explosive outbursts while Sweeney’s Millie watches in fear, forced to endure the situation due to her vulnerability and a shadowy past.
“It was very addictive to play a character like this,” said Seyfried, known for “Mamma Mia!”
Sweeney admitted that keeping a straight face during filming was a challenge. “It was amazing to watch her go deeper and deeper into the madness, and I couldn’t help but laugh.”
For Seyfried, one of the biggest challenges was serving as “the audience’s eyes” in a story packed with twists, resisting the temptation to anticipate what comes next.
That restraint, she said, requires empathy. “You have to be very empathetic with your characters. You may question their choices, but you must always understand them.”
As the story unfolds, Nina and Millie repeatedly swap roles as victim and perpetrator, defying expectations and opening the door to a possible sequel. “I am a big fan of the books, and if people really want to see more, I would love to,” Sweeney said.
The film also avoids clichés about female friendship and rivalry, presenting a nuanced portrayal of abuse that resists simple explanations.
“I don’t think it’s really about revenge,” Sweeney said. “All the characters are in survival mode.” EFE mrl-sk
