Paul Feig’s Genre-Expanding Take on ‘The Housemaid’

Director Paul Feig wants you to support local movie theaters, ideally at his new movie The Housemaid, based on the popular book series by Freida McFadden. “My last three movies have been streamers, and thank God I got to make movies, but I make movies for audiences in a room.” Adapting a popular book into a film is “intimidating,” but Feig is content with McFadden’s approval. “She said she thinks it’s better than the book. That was a huge thing to hear from the author.” The film follows Millie (Sydney Sweeney), a live-in maid for Nina (Amanda Seyfried), who begins to discover this perfect family is hiding dark secrets. “The marketing department’s line says, ‘Spend the holidays with a family more dysfunctional than yours.’ And I think that’s kinda true.” Best known for directing comedies like Bridesmaids and Spy, Feig has created his own genre of thrillers with a comedic edge. Watch my interview with Paul, Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney: https://www.newsweek.com/entertainment/paul-feigs-genre-expanding-take-housemaid-11221295 Subscribe to my newsletter: https://link.newsweek.com/join/for-the-culture Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to Newsweek’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/newsweek See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

James L. Brooks, director of classics like Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News and As Good as it Gets, returns to form with Ella McCay, his first film in 15 years. Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott chatted with Brooks about the inspiration behind the story and how the women in his life inspired so many of his iconic female characters. Later in the chat Scott chatted with Jamie Lee Curtis about what it’s like to be asked to be in a Brooks film and Emma Mackey on the stress of playing the title character.  Watch the video: https://youtu.be/9plwtg4aemo Read the feature in the latest issue of Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/entertainment/james-l-brooks-returns-to-form-with-ella-mccay-11183470 Subscribe to my newsletter: https://link.newsweek.com/join/for-the-culture Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to Newsweek’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/newsweek See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Wagner Moura chats with Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott about The Secret Agent, the Oscars buzz surrounding it and why “carrying Brazil with us” makes the moment so special. Transcript: https://www.newsweek.com/entertainment/wagner-moura-on-the-secret-agent-oscars-and-his-return-to-brazilian-film-11182568 Subscribe to my newsletter: https://link.newsweek.com/join/for-the-culture Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to Newsweek’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/newsweek See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott sits down with the iconic Susan Powter, the original wellness influencer of the 90s, to discuss her unexpected journey from the heights of fame to driving for Uber Eats. Her journey is documented in the Jamie Lee Curtis produced documentary ‘Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter.’ In this candid conversation, Susan opens up about her decision to step away from the spotlight, the challenges she faced, and the resilience that kept her going. Discover the untold story behind "Stop the Insanity" and how Susan's energy and authenticity continue to inspire. This is a raw and real exploration of life beyond the limelight. Video: https://youtu.be/CyMBQ6MNSPg Subscribe to my newsletter: https://link.newsweek.com/join/for-the-culture Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to Newsweek’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/newsweek See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Daniel Craig and Rian Johnson discuss faith in “Wake Up Dead Man,” praising Josh O'Connor’s humor and Glenn Close’s legendary performance in the new mystery. Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott chats with Johnson and Craig about the origins of the story; O’Connor about his love of comedy; and finally Close about how her time in a cult as a child inspired her performance.  Subscribe to my newsletter: https://link.newsweek.com/join/for-the-culture Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to Newsweek’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/newsweek See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Erika Alexander and Kim Coles join Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to chat about their podcast ReLiving Single, the "limitless creativity" of Living Single and the sitcom's enduring impact on pop culture. You can watch the first season of ReLiving Single on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReLivingSinglePodcast Subscribe to my newsletter: https://link.newsweek.com/join/for-the-culture Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to Newsweek’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/newsweek See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star and New York Times bestselling author Heather Gay joins Newsweek’s H. Alan Scott to discuss her powerful new special, Surviving Mormonism. We dive into how reality TV has become an unexpected frontier for defining Mormon culture, why women are leading that charge, and how Heather is navigating her own journey from "Bad Mormon" to cultural trailblazer. Subscribe to my newsletter: https://link.newsweek.com/join/for-the-culture Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to Newsweek’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/newsweek See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Initially, Kal Penn was hesitant to do a podcast because “every actor has a podcast.” Fortunately for us, he created Here We Go Again, focused on why history keeps repeating itself. “I loved the fact that you could talk about history repeating itself through pop culture, through politics. But it’s not a political podcast by any means.” That said, Penn, an actor who took a break from Hollywood to work in the Obama administration, still very much has a foot in advocacy. “If you wanna go through the death spiral of social media and make yourself anxious,” go for it, he says, but he’s not going to join. Instead, he’s going to invite people to “come knock on doors...it’s gonna move the needle on real conversations.” And one thing fans continue to discuss is their love for his Harold & Kumar franchise. Recounting a time he ran into political adviser Karl Rove and found out he was a fan, Penn realized, “as long as we stay truthful to the characters, the hope is that as polarized as this world is, we can still make a movie for everybody.”   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ comes to an end, Gaten Matarazzo, 23, is focused on soaking in the final moments. “I really want to take it in and enjoy it. I don’t think I’ll ever be in something that makes quite as much of an impact the way ‘Stranger Things’ has.” Matarazzo plays Dustin, who we see grappling with a loss. “I wanted to see a bit of a pessimism that I think [is how] a lot of children approach their grief.” He’s grateful to have understood the scale of the sci-fi series. “I spent a good chunk of my time trying to really recognize how special it was. And to live very much in the present.” But that last day on set was surreal. “It was a good day, but it was a very weird next morning. One of the most eerily quiet, melancholy kind of mornings that any of us had ever experienced.” But Hollywood did what Hollywood does, it moves on. “It kind of hurts your feelings how quickly everything starts getting turned over. It’s like, ‘Please don’t touch anything for a while.’” Subscribe to my newsletter: https://link.newsweek.com/join/for-the-culture Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to Newsweek’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/newsweek See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Clear the stage and light the lights! Drag superstars Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme return to the podcast to pull back the curtain on their brand-new tour, The Jinkx and Dela Holiday Show.  We discuss their creative partnership, DeLa's growing empire as a director for drag's biggest stars, and Jinkx's show-stopping, history-making turns on Broadway in Chicago and Oh, Mary! From holiday camp to the Great White Way, this chat has it all. For more on the new holiday show, visit https://www.jinkxanddela.com/ Subscribe to my newsletter: https://link.newsweek.com/join/for-the-culture Follow me: https://linktr.ee/halanscott Subscribe to Newsweek’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/newsweek See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.