“I’ve heard people think, ‘Oh my God, you looked horrible,’” says Amy Adams, rolling her eyes as she reflects on her physical appearance in her latest film, “Nightbitch,” about a difficult stay-at-home experience. house mother who – come with us here – sometimes turns into a dog. “I was like, ‘You realize this is what I look like in my life, right?’”
Considering the role features Adams bouncing around on all fours, six nipples waving in the breeze, and eating a bowl of meatloaf on her hands and knees, some frumpy clothes and frizzy hair hardly seem like the bravest part of her performance.
In Marielle Heller’s surreal and often scathing examination of motherhood, Adams’ character is upset that she gave up a fulfilling career as an artist to become her baby’s primary caretaker (a role she finds suffocating), with only her husband clueless (Scoot McNairy) to take care of. help her – or not. “Happiness is a choice,” he tells Adams (called Mom in the film), who fantasizes about giving him a good slap. Overwhelmed by the endless demands of caring for a young child – from dealing with sleepless nights to tantrums – a frustrated mother unleashes her inner beast, digging holes in the front yard and howling at the moon.
While this canine transformation has given Adams plenty to sink her teeth into as an actress, she is adamant that “Nightbitch” is not about lycanthropy, a psychological disorder in which a person imagines themselves as an animal. Like Charlize Theron in “Tully,” Adams’ character’s break from reality helps her deal with the weight of motherhood: She finds her pack (a group of other mothers she previously thought could never understand her) and releases years of pent-up anger against her incompetent husband.
Victoria Stevens for Variety
“I love the metaphor of her connecting with a more primal, wild side of herself in order to learn how to let go and be present and engaged and flexible and find her joy,” says Adams.
The film’s fantastical premise may be what draws people to theaters this December, but “Nightbitch” is, at its core, a “Yellow Wallpaper”-style commentary on how mothers are sometimes forced by circumstances, whether financial or no, to abandon his professional work. lives to take care of his children.
Adams, herself mother to 14-year-old daughter Aviana, remembers how challenging those early days of raising children were, even with the help of her husband, Darren Le Gallo, and her six siblings. “Every moment needed to be devoted to the care and maintenance of my son,” she says, adding that although her relationship with Le Gallo was “more equitable” than her “Nightbitch” marriage, it was difficult being the first of her group of friends to become a mother. “Motherhood redirected my priorities. And I think it changed some relationships. That was difficult, but I don’t think it’s unusual.”
Mother, who can be bitter and fragile, is a far cry from the gritty, hopeful roles Adams became known for in the 2000s, such as the effervescent young wife in “Junebug” and the candy-coated Princess Giselle in “Enchanted.” But getting to that pure point was a process. “I was very naive and I think I was very afraid of showing any truth or darkness about the other side of the human experience,” Adams says of her early days in the industry. “I would have felt so vulnerable and so exposed.”
She’s no longer afraid, though, delivering her riskiest performance in “Nightbitch,” playing a person whose frustration and resentment are relatable, even if her response to pressure is extreme. While the naivety that first endeared Adams to the public may have faded, she is not cynical. “I’m a truly pragmatic person, with a tendency towards optimism,” she says.
On an unseasonably warm October day at the Beverly Hills office of Adams’ production company, Bond Group Entertainment, the actress looks classic in a white button-down shirt paired with jeans and black mules, with her hair pulled back into a bun.
Don’t care about the look legalhowever – it’s the only nickname Adams has ever rejected. “I’m stupid and I’m okay with that,” she says, detailing her favorite TikTok rabbit holes of late: Disneyland influencers and ballerinas’ pointe shoe try-ons.
She’s not afraid to look silly, which is partly why transforming into a dog for “Nightbitch” was easy for her. Well, except for one thing. “Her barking was really loud,” says Heller. “I was like, ‘We need to channel some big dog energy for you here. We need some BDE.’”
Adams laughs. “I don’t think this is surprising to anyone. I’m more like a golden retriever!” (They may technically be big dogs, but their gentle nature is a bit faster than the Husky your character releases.)
In an early scene, the mother discovers new hair growing on her chin, and Adams volunteers to grow it herself. “The hair on my face was mine,” she says proudly. “I saw it as a wonderful expression of the human experience, without any artifice or filter. Or tweezers! She adds: “I have the kind of hair that grows overnight. One day it doesn’t exist and the next day it’s like I’m a catfish. That might turn some people off.” She bursts into laughter, because she really doesn’t care.
When “Nightbitch” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, it received mixed responses from critics and audiences — some found the story confusing and heavy-handed, while others embraced it as a hard-hitting feminist allegory. Adams isn’t surprised, given that his source material, Rachel Yoder’s novel of the same name, was met with a similar “love it or hate it” reception.
Victoria Stevens for Variety
“It could be polarizing. I’m like, ‘If you know, you know!’” Adams says. “It’s about friendship, community, relationships, motherhood, fatherhood. It hits many different ancestral wounds. So if it hits you, that will make me very happy.”
Of course, as a six-time Oscar nominee, Adams is well aware of the awards talk already surrounding her performance in the Searchlight pic. She insists it’s not in her nature to be competitive, instead seeing the silver lining in being a perennial candidate who hasn’t yet had the chance to give an acceptance speech.
“I’m entirely grateful for it, and it also brings attention to films that wouldn’t otherwise be seen,” she says. Adams makes this statement with such seriousness that you actually believe it.
It’s the quality that director Denis Villeneuve noticed when Adams directed his 2016 sci-fi film “Arrival.” “My first impression of Amy was that she was very thoughtful, intelligent, quiet, modest, cheerful, and had beautiful, bright, incredibly expressive eyes,” he writes in an email. “I realized that these eyes would have the power to make us believe in an unknown life form.”
When Adams founded Bond Group alongside her manager, Stacy O’Neil, in 2019, they shared a simple goal: build a ladder to elevate women in Hollywood. Producing “Nightbitch” is the final rung on that ladder for the company, which signed a first-look TV deal with Fifth Season in 2022.
“When we were in Toronto, I was really excited to see so many films, not just female-led, but directed by women,” says Adams. “I think these stories should be told. I think this starts really important conversations that should be had. So for me, that was a big part [producing].”
This dogged support from other women extends to projects in which she is not producing or acting. For example, Adams says she’s happy for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star Rachel Brosnahan as she takes on the role of Lois Lane in James Gunn’s “Superman.” although Adams has played the reporter and love interest Clark Kent in several DC Extended Universe films.
“I love her. She’s going to be great. We hope the role is infused with her sensitivity, natural humor, strength and intelligence,” says Adams, also confirming that she was never under the impression she would return for more “Superman” adventures. after his last appearance in “Justice League.”
She makes a point of praising her own Man of Steel, Henry Cavill, adding: “Henry was a really brilliant Superman. I offer luck to every Superman and stuff, but I think he was great. I just wanted to say this. It’s so in his spirit.”
Adams knows, however, that the iconic roles were only his for a fleeting moment. “Coming from theater, a role is never yours. You just take a look at it. That’s how I feel about this franchise.”
Adams is also looking forward to working with the new generation of actors, praising 22-year-old Jenna Ortega, with whom he will star in the upcoming Taika Waititi adaptation “Klara and the Sun.” “I learn a lot from the young women I work with,” she says. “I feel like I learn more from them than they could ever learn from me.” She laughs. “I forget that sometimes I’m not their age. I’m like, ‘Amy, you’re 50 years old. You will not be hanged!’”
She may not be with Ortega, but getting older has benefits, both in career and in life. “It looks so much better,” she says. “But there are things I miss: my joints working, collagen, things like that.”
Charity Spotlight: The RightWay Foundation
“She’s the real deal,” Franco Vega says of Amy Adams and her commitment to the RightWay Foundation, of which he is CEO and founder.
Adams is an ambassador for RightWay, which provides young people aging out of foster care with the resources they need to build a life for themselves. Started in 2011, RightWay offers safe housing, mental health resources, job readiness workshops and financial capability training.
“It seemed to me like it was an underserved community,” Adams says of why he chose to get involved more than a decade ago. When children fall out of the system, she explains, they face disproportionate rates of homelessness, incarceration, food insecurity, and trauma.
“RightWay’s doors are open to this community of foster children,” says Adams, who meets regularly with program participants. “It’s been wonderful to be a witness to this and help in any way I can.”
When Adams got married in 2015, she asked her guests to donate to RightWay instead of giving gifts. “I wish there were more people like her,” says Vega.
In the years since he began working with RightWay, Adams says he has personally seen enormous growth in its impact on the community. Between July 2023 and June 2024, RightWay was able to support 180 young adults in Los Angeles
Adams’ hope is that more people will treat these young adults with the same compassion that RightWay does. “RightWay’s level of acceptance, understanding and empathy is what we need right now.”
Styling: Petra Flannery; Makeup: Stephen Sollitto/TMG-LA; Hair: John Dahlstrom/Forward Artists; Manicure: Alex Jachno/Opus Beauty; Top and skirt: Ferragamo; Jewelry: Vernier
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