Sydney Sweeney has revealed how The Handmaid's Tale influenced the making of her new horror movie Immaculate.
The Euphoria actress makes her scream queen debut in Immaculate as a nun named Cecelia, who journeys to a remote convent in the Italian countryside for a fresh start. However, things take a nightmarish turn when she discovers her new home harbours a sinister secret.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy ahead of the film's release on March 22, Sweeney said she was convinced that she wanted to produce and star in Immaculate – which she initially auditioned for over a decade ago – while filming season two of The Handmaid's Tale.
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"I always would randomly think about it. Every year, in the most random moments, it would pop into my mind. One of the biggest turning points for me when I was like, 'I'm going to be determined to make this happen' was when I was filming Handmaid's Tale," she shared.
"I saw Elisabeth Moss and how active she was on that show with directing and producing and just being so involved. Also, whenever I watched them set up the shot and how cinematic the entire show was, I started seeing Immaculate play in my mind.
"I hadn't thought about the script in a year, it just randomly started playing in my mind. I remember I emailed my agents and asked them, 'Did they ever make Immaculate?' and when they wrote me back no, I knew that I was going to go after it and make it myself."
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Reflecting on her experience filming the movie, she added: "I actually had so much fun, I didn't want to leave. Every day I didn't want to wrap at the end of the day. I would want to be the first person there to say hi to all the crew and run around to make sure everything was running smoothly. I had such a great time."
Meanwhile, director Michael Mohan praised Sweeney's performance and professionalism on set, saying he "loved" working with her.
"She can go to really dark places at the drop of a hat and we'll be shooting a scene, she'll be, like, mucus running out of her nose, tears streaming down her face, in some scenes she's also covered in blood, and I'll call cut and she'll be like, 'How was that? Should we go again?'" he recalled.
"It's one of these things that is so unbelievable as a director, it's an absolute dream because I don't have to do that much in terms of conjuring a performance out of her. I love it, I love working with her."
Immaculate will arrive in cinemas on March 22.
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Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
