Paul Feig was thrilled by Amanda Seyfried's "rock star" performance in their new movie The Housemaid.
In the upcoming movie adaptation of Freida McFadden's psychological thriller novel, the Mean Girls actress plays wealthy housewife Nina Winchester, who hires Sydney Sweeney's Millie to be her housemaid.
The Winchesters are not who they seem, and Feig was particularly impressed by the way Seyfried was able to play all the elements of her shape-shifting character, sometimes within the same scene.
"That is completely performance dependent - there is no way to manipulate that performance in editing or anything. You have to have her pull it off," Feig told Who Wear Wear about a major reveal scene. "That's just pure Amanda. We shot probably three or four takes of that, and each time, the hair raised up on the back of my neck from how great it was. She's a rock star - I'm telling you."
The Bridesmaids filmmaker also praised The Dropout star for eschewing vanity and throwing herself into a scene where Nina appears dishevelled, with make-up smudged around her face and her hair all over the place.
Recalling his reaction to her unkempt look, Feig said, "She came on set like that, and I'm just like, 'Boy, you're my hero.'"
Feig explained that he had been keen to work with Seyfried since they met for a coffee in New York over a decade ago, but he had to wait for the right role to materialise.
"She was somebody I wanted to have in a movie. She had the right feel and personality, openness, and fun that I always look for," he gushed.
When he signed on for The Housemaid, Euphoria star Sweeney was already attached to play Millie, and they were both excited by the prospect of Seyfried playing Nina. Having seen her Emmy-winning performance in The Dropout, he knew that she could play the unexpected character.
The Housemaid is now showing in U.S. cinemas. It will be released in the U.K. on Boxing Day.
