‘The Strangers – Chapter 3’ Interview: Madelaine Petsch

Once again directed by Renny Harlin (‘Die Hard 2’ and ‘Cliffhanger’), the sequel features returning franchise stars Madelaine Petsch (‘Riverdale’), Gabriel Basso (‘A House of Dynamite’), Ema Horvath (‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’), and Richard Brake (‘Batman Begins’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Madelaine Petsch about her work on ‘The Strangers – Chapter 3’, shooting all three films at once, what her character is going through in the new movie, if she is happy with the ending, working with legendary director Renny Harlin, and what she’ll remember most about the experience.

Related Article: Director Renny Harlin Talks Horror Sequel ‘The Strangers – Chapter 2’

Madelaine Petsch as “Maya,” in the horror film ‘The Strangers – Chapter 3’, a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about the challenges of shooting three movies at the same time and now that the final installment is being released, how do you feel about fans finally seeing the conclusion of the trilogy?

Madelaine Petsch: How much time do you have to talk about challenges of shooting three movies at once? It’s quite a thing. I mean, time was a challenge, keeping track of where my character is, not only just emotionally, but physically with my wounds, my limp and how that evolves over time, knowing we want to end without that limp and how do we get there. So, it was so much technicality and then also trying to remove the technicality from the artistry when I’m in front of the camera. It was so much in prep, everything happened in prep. Now that it’s out, I think the other challenge was editing. I mean, we edited ‘Chapter 1’, we edited ‘Chapter 2’, and then by the time we edited the second one, we’re like, “Oh, ‘Chapter 3’ can evolve as this character has evolved naturally through editing in a completely different way.” So, we went and enhanced it with a 15-day reshoot for ‘Chapter 3’. We almost created an entirely new film, which was crazy to see and experience. Also, it was crazy to go back and become Maya again two and a half years later. But there’s endless challenges to that, and endless rewards to it because as an artist, to put yourself through such an insane bootcamp and come out, I believe, victorious is something I’m proud of.

MF: Can you talk about where we left Maya at the end of the second film and where we find her at the start of ‘Chapter 3’?

MP: Where we leave Maya is she’s accidentally or not so accidentally, killed Pin-Up Girl (Ema Horvath) after seeing that the people who saved her on the street are dead in their home and knowing that the Strangers are nearby and close. She’s meant to be saved by this ambulance and ultimately is not saved and kills Pin-Up Girl. Then, she’s watching in the woods as Scarecrow mourns Pin-Up Girl. I think that’s when the receptors start clicking for her that these aren’t just people who know each other. They have real intimate relationships and she’s just taken away an important person to this guy, and he’s going to come after her. You pick up in ‘Chapter 3’, literally right where you left off. That last scene in ‘Chapter 2’ is exactly where we start in ‘Chapter 3’. You don’t miss anything. She is no longer fighting to survive. I think she’s angry and more fed up and wants to fight back.

(L to R) Madelaine Petsch as Maya and Gabriel Basso as Gregory in ‘The Strangers – Chapter 3’. Photo Credit: John Armour.

MF: As an actress, are you happy with the way the story ends for your character, and do you think fans will be satisfied with the conclusion of the series?

MP: I’m very satisfied with it. I love the moral gray area that we play with in the final moments of this movie. I like watching her not know what she’s going to do in that final scene. I really do believe she walked in and had no idea which direction she was going to go in. I think even after she’s made her decision, there are moments of what is she going to do next? I don’t think we all know what her direction is in life. Although I think there is a large section of horror fans who want totality and want answers, there’s also an equally large portion that likes it open-ended and likes questions, although there is a wrapped-up scenario at the end. There is a lot of open-endedness and “what do you think she does next? Who do you think she’s become? What is she left with?” I like conversation around horror films. That’s the personal kind of film that I like. But there’s a large section of people who wants a finished product. So, I think it will be divisive, but that’s my favorite kind of filmmaking.

MF: What was it like working with director Renny Harlin on this series and what did you learn from watching the way he executed his vision for this trilogy?

MP: It’s so funny because every director has such a specific style in the way that they operate. It is my job to become a chameleon to that. I have this amazing video of Renny crawling on the floor the way he had imagined me crawling. I had this moment where I was like, “Renny Harlin is in front of me crawling through leaves right now. What is my life?” He’s a behemoth director. He’s wonderful and he’s so specific about the way he wants to shoot things and the way that he wants things to come together. But he’s also very collaborative, which I think is a rare combination to have as a director who’s so accomplished. He’ll come and say to me, “Okay, I really want to open this with a big crane shot where it reveals you this way. I wanted you standing here. What is your intuition? Where do you want to be?” I think that kind of humility in somebody as big as him is cool and I got lucky. I have so many wonderful things to say about Renny.

(L to R) Renny Harlin, Madelaine Petsch and Courtney Solomon at San Diego Comic-Con 2025.

MF: Finally, what will you remember most about the shooting this trilogy?

MP: That I’m literally a crazy person for signing onto three movies to shoot all at one time. Who is that girl, honestly? The things that I do are just insane, but I’m proud of it. I got to learn a lot about being a producer and how to edit and how that process works. I got a great relationship with Lionsgate, who I consider family now and (Producer) Courtney (Solomon) and Renny. So, I have nothing but good things to say about this process. I feel very lucky.

A scene from ‘The Strangers – Chapter 3’. Photo Credit: Jordy Clarke/Lionsgate.

What is the plot of ‘The Strangers – Chapter 3’?

Tethered by a frightening conclusion, Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and the Strangers are locked on an unavoidable, unforgiving collision course — a showdown that proves they’re far from strangers now.

Who is in the cast of ‘The Strangers – Chapter 3’?

• Madelaine Petsch as Maya
• Gabriel Basso as Gregory
• Ema Horvath as Shelly
• Richard Brake as Sheriff Rotter

‘The Strangers – Chapter 3’ opens in theaters on February 6th.

List of Movies in ‘The Strangers’ Franchise:

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