Netflix's new film The Woman In The Window, based on the novel by AJ Finn, features a blockbuster cast including Amy Adams, Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman and Anthony Mackie.
It's the story of agoraphobic Anna Fox, who lives in a Harlem brownstone and is intrigued by the new family, the Russells, who have moved in across the street. After befriending their teenage son Ethan (News Of The World's Fred Hechinger), Anna meets a woman she believes to be his mother, Jane (Julianne Moore), and grows close to her too.
Then, one night Anna hears a scream from across the street and, looking through the window, sees Jane being attacked in her home. But when she calls the police, both Ethan and his father Alistair (Gary Oldman) claim that nothing is wrong — and Anna is even more confused when Alistair introduces her to his wife Jane (Jennifer Jason Leigh), who is not the woman Anna met before. Did Anna really see what she thought she saw, or is her mind playing tricks on her?
Here Amy, 46, and Julianne, 60, reveal more about their characters — and why they were thrilled to finally have the opportunity to work together...
Amy on playing Anna in The Woman In The Window
"I’m a fan of psychological thrillers, especially the ones from the 50s and 60s. When I spoke with Joe [Wright, the director] about how we were going to approach this, the way that he wanted to film it, and the tension he wanted to build, I was so attracted to that — I love Joe, and I’ve wanted to work with him forever. But I also really loved how we looked at Anna, and how she was someone who was struggling with so much darkness. There’s a lot of shame, a lot of secrets, and it just was a really interesting approach to the thriller, so I was really excited. I hadn’t done anything like it before, so it was something I really was happy to dive into."
Julianne Moore on Anna's relationship with the outside world
"I loved how important her relationships were to the people that came in and out of that house. Because I think about that: during the pandemic, all of my communications were with people over Zoom, or somebody coming to the end of your yard and talking over a fence, and they all felt important, I think, for all of us. I love how that resonated in the film, that you see Anna's connections to these people as they enter her world, whether or not they’re real perceptions or not, but you see the strength of those relationships and how intense they feel."
Julianne and Amy on finally having an opportunity to work together
Julianne: "I’ve been a fan of Amy’s for so long, and really only knew her a little bit socially from events and stuff, so I jumped at the chance to do this with her, and I had so much fun. She’s such an extraordinary actor and a wonderful person, and it was great to have intimate scenes like that.
"I loved the fact that my character, as mysterious as she is, has this genuine connection to this woman — you see the two of them communicating and having an experience together. For me, it was a dream, and the way Amy anchors this entire film, she carries it! She carries the whole thing with so much emotion, so much truth, so much tension. She’s a marvel to watch and I was thrilled to be able to do that scene with her."
Amy: "I am obsessed with Julianne, so I was so excited she was doing this. I really just wanted to know everything about her — I sort of felt like my character Ashley in [2005 movie] Junebug, where I just was like, ‘what about this? What about that?’ with her, and just in awe.
"This happens to me a lot, where I’m in a scene with somebody and I’m watching them, and I forget that I’m supposed to be their scene partner because I’m just in awe of what they’re doing. That happened with Julianne several times! I since have gotten to work with her again on something for one scene [in the upcoming film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen]. I want to work with Julianne for longer than one scene — that’s something that’s on my bucket list!
"She brought so much depth to this character, this character brought joy into Anna’s life, which then sort of created this believability that Anna would then want to protect her, and to protect that relationship, and see herself in her. Anyway, I loved it. I was very chatty on set, I got in a lot of trouble for chatting!"
The Woman In The Window launches on Netflix from Friday May 14.
