Oscar-nominated actress Amanda Seyfried is celebrating the huge success of her latest film The Housemaid, but she recently surprised fans with an honest revelation about her role behind the scenes. While promoting the movie on The Graham Norton Show, Amanda admitted that she didn’t even know she had been credited as an executive producer until filming was already underway.
“I’m a producer on it, and I didn’t know until three weeks in,” she said. “I saw the call sheet and thought, ‘Executive producer? I didn’t sign up for that.’”
Curious, she contacted one of the producers to clarify — only to learn that the title had been negotiated by her agent.
“That’s what your agent negotiated,” she recalled being told. Amanda joked that she immediately hoped the film would perform well at the box office.
Despite the impressive credit, she made it clear that she had no involvement in the production process beyond acting.
“It was one of those vanity credits, because I didn’t do anything to make that movie. I only acted in it,” she admitted candidly.
Amanda also stressed that she didn’t want to take away from actors who genuinely take on producing responsibilities, pointing to Margot Robbie as an example.
“What Margot does is really develop movies from the start. I just came in, had fun and left,” she explained humorously.
Based on the bestselling novel by Freida McFadden, The Housemaid follows Millie, played by Sydney Sweeney, a young woman seeking a fresh start. She accepts a live-in job with a wealthy couple — Nina, portrayed by Amanda, and Andrew Winchester, played by Brandon Sklenar — only to uncover unsettling secrets within their seemingly perfect home.
Released in the United States last December, the psychological thriller was made on a modest $35 million budget but went on to gross an impressive $374 million worldwide.
With its massive success, a sequel titled The Housemaid’s Secret is already in development by Lionsgate. Sydney Sweeney is set to return, while Paul Feig will direct the sequel.
Whether Amanda Seyfried will reprise her role remains unconfirmed — but her candid honesty has certainly added another talking point to the film’s success story.