Will There Be A Ton Of Differences Between The Housemaid Book And Movie? What One Star Says About Playing A 'Weirdo'

On the list of upcoming book-to-screen adaptations is the psychological thriller The Housemaid. Based on Freida McFadden’s bestseller, the film centers on a young woman with a troubled past (played by Sydney Sweeney), who takes a job as a maid to a wealthy couple and experiences danger while on the job. Fans of the novel are likely curious as to how the motion picture will match up with the source material. Well, cast member Michele Morrone, who's playing a "weirdo" in the movie, has some insight.

It's not uncommon for fans to get mad over a book adaptation in the event that it greatly diverges from its source. The Cat in the Hat, 1995's The Scarlet Letter and Gulliver’s Travels are just a few examples of that kind of scenario. There are plenty of reasons why changes are made, but that doesn't necessarily extinguish backlash. In the case of The Housemaid, Michele Morrone spoke to Variety at the SXSW TV Film Festival and shared a take that should make fans of the book happy:

As some who loves a number of books, I always find it wonderful when a film adaptation syncs up with the source. What fans ultimately want to see is the story they know coming to life on the big screen. It's true that some changes must be made for thematic reasons, and they can be beneficial. Nevertheless, I'm now a bit more optimistic that Housemaid will maintain the twisty and tension-filled aura of the book.

In the film, Michele Morrone plays the shy gardener of the Winchester estate, Enzo. When housemaid Millie first meets Enzo, he gives off a mysterious vibe. As the gardener doesn’t speak much English and keeps to himself, Millie doesn’t know if she should trust him and, as fans of the book probably know, there's more to the man than meets the eye.

The Subservience alum certainly has the chops to play a “weirdo” in the film and, as he mentioned, he relishes those roles. He gave off weird vibes in The Trial, in which he played a mysterious murder suspect. He also gave it his all in the 365 Days franchise, which are among the most sexually explicit Netflix films, the 365 Days franchise. With those, he took on the role of Sicilian Mafia Family member Massimo, who kidnaps an attractive sales director and keeps her captive for a year to make her fall in love with him. Given he played an obsessive, manipulative “weirdo” like that, I think the star will nail Enzo.

If The Housemaid, which started production earlier this year, is really going to be “very faithful” to Freida McFadden’s novel, audiences will be in for a real treat being introduced to Enzo and other “weirdos” from the source material. With Michele Morrone’s history of playing complex roles, I can’t wait to see him bring his A-game to portray one of the novel’s standout characters.

The 2025 movie release The Housemaid hits theaters this Christmas Day.