There’s nothing like a good BTS story about how a movie comes together, and in the case of The Housemaid, fans have been interested to learn how the highly-anticipated book adaptation came to life on the big screen. One of the coolest details about the movie, in my opinion, is how it ends on just the perfect Taylor Swift song. I just found out that moment was not guaranteed for fans in the beginning, but Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney absolutely kept the faith.
It was director Paul Feig who admitted he wanted Taylor Swift’s “I Did Something Bad” for the closing credits of The Housemaid. Of course, taking a popular song from a bucket list want to a reality can be a little bit challenging.
Honestly, I get it. The last time Taylor Swift cleared one of her songs for a big movie release was It Ends With Us, and that landed her in the middle of the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni brouhaha. Personally, Swift’s music is such a perfect fit for The Housemaid tonally and I can see why Feig, Amanda Seyfried, and Sydney Sweeney all wanted it in the movie.
The song’s from Swift’s Reputation, and Feig told People it was the “ultimate kind of empowerment song.” There was just one problem: They needed permission to use it. The two leading ladies saw the cut of the final version of the movie before the right were cleared, and they just kept saying they needed it in the movie.
Honestly, I don’t personally know exactly how difficult it is to land a Taylor Swift song, though Feig alluded to it not being a super simple favor. It’s true a ton of movies don’t have her music, but shows like Will Trent, The Bear and The Handmaid’s Tale have all rocked her music just this year. Still, I do think The Housemaid may have had an uphill battle given it’s a little similar to It Ends with Us tonally and that obviously has been a whole big thing in the press. Or maybe there could have been cost issues (as we all know Swift’s music ain’t cheap) or problems with clearing “I Did Something Bad” in particular.
Maybe there simply was another kind of holdup on nabbing the rights, too, as Feig did not clarify how it ultimately came, down.
Whatever the case, Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney seemingly kept beating the drum until the powers that be agreed to let “I Did Something Bad” into the movie. The rest is delicious, campy movie history, and if you haven’t given the flick a watch yet, it’s absolutely one for the big screen. Just see CinemaBlend’s own Corey Chichizola recounting his rowdy screening.
