Paul Feig went into the final stages of his latest film fully prepared for disappointment, never expecting Taylor Swift to say yes to a song he believed was too perfect to be approved.
But to his surprise, the pop superstar not only watched the movie, she signed off on the track he had hoped for all along.
Speaking during the red carpet premiere of The Housemaid on Monday, the four-time Emmy nominee admitted he had little faith that Swift would clear the use of her 2017 Reputation track I Did Something Bad for the film’s shocking ending.
As Feig explained, securing a Taylor Swift song is never simple.
“Well, that’s the thing; you want to put a Taylor song in your movie, but she and her company have to approve it,” he said while discussing the editing process.
Even with that reality in mind, Feig and his team took a chance.
“So, we were tempting with it, and we were like, ‘It’s so perfect, but she’s never gonna clear this,’” he added.
The unexpected twist came after Swift and her team were shown the finished film.
“Then we showed she and her people the movie, and she approved it. So, I guess she likes it. Thank you Taylor!”
The approval turned a long-shot wish into a defining moment for The Housemaid, which is now playing in theaters.
The film’s soundtrack leans heavily into emotionally charged and recognisable music, blending Swift’s song with tracks like Lana Del Rey’s Cinnamon Girl, Renée Rapp’s Why Is She Still Here?, Kelly Clarkson’s Since U Been Gone, and Linda Ronstadt’s Tumbling Dice and Blue Bayou.
Based on Freida McFadden’s 2022 novel, the thriller stars Sydney Sweeney as Millie, a housekeeper who steps into what appears to be a flawless household run by the Winchesters, played by Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar.
As the story unfolds, dark secrets begin to surface.
