Madelaine Petsch Talks The Strangers Trilogy’s Tough But Necessary Reshoots

ComingSoon’s Tyler Treese spoke with The Strangers – Chapter 3 star Madelaine Petsch about the ambitious horror movie trilogy. Petsch opened up about the reshoots that retooled the third film, discussed working with Gabriel Basso, and more. Chapter 3 arrives in theaters starting February 6, 2026.

“In the final film of The Strangers trilogy, Maya (Madelaine Petsch) faces the masked killers one last time in a brutal, full-circle reckoning of survival and revenge,” says the synopsis.

Tyler Treese: Because it takes place over three films, Maya gets to have such an interesting and extended arc play out. In the previous two films, we saw her running away so much. She’s been bloodied and battered, but in Chapter 3, she’s putting up a fight. What resonated with you the most about this storyline that we really got to watch play out in such extended fashion?

Madelaine Petsch: Yeah, I think as an actor, especially in film, you get usually about an hour and a half to define a character. Here, I got four and a half hours to really build out this character and get her to a place where she is choosing actively to go and fight back. And it gave me time to really build that out and let the audience be on the ride with her. I think that’s a very rare thing as an actor

In 2 and 3, you get to share some interesting scenes with Gabriel Basso. He has an uneasiness and an off-putting nature in this film, and he’s so charming in other stuff, so it’s fun to see, but he really puts the viewers on edge, and so is your character. What stood out about working with him to achieve that? Because there he has the ick.

It’s funny, he auditioned to play Ryan, which is very interesting. When we watched the tape, we were like, “Definitely this other character, this makes way more sense.” There’s a level of, what’s the word I’m looking for, like confidence in a way that’s so comfortable. It’s not cockiness. It’s like he is just comfortable in his skin.

He’s really committed. I mean, he would come to set on days he wasn’t meant to be shooting and just stand in my eye line just to mess with me. Honestly, at the time, I was like, “This is kind of strange,” but I’m so thankful for it now because it created this dynamic where every time he was in the room, I was a little bit on edge. Then, when the movies were over, we started talking about life, like everything was normal. I was like, “Oh, you did this intentionally.” It’s really, I mean, he’s honestly, I would say probably the most talented actor I’ve ever worked with.

This was such an ambitious shoot, doing a whole trilogy all at once, and it’s such a physical role for you. What are you most proud of about this overall experience?

I think tackling a challenge like that, like you said, is something to be proud of — doing three movies at once. And then also I learned how to really produce a film from the ground up and to go into the editing room. And I learned how to edit myself without judgment as an artist, but removing myself from that process was really cool.

This is not a typical way to tell stories to do in acts one, two, and three in theaters. There was a lot of feedback and pushback from audiences because none of the films felt finished when they watched them, and rightfully so. They were all to be continued. But I think it’s fun to change things up and try something different, and that’s why we make art. So I’m proud of a lot of things in this process.

Speaking to the feedback, after the first film came out, the team got back together for additional photography and refocused some aspects. I read there were about three weeks spent on Chapter 3. How was that experience of getting to go back to the character and reshaping some aspects of the film?

Madelaine Petsch: Yeah, it was tough, I’ll be honest. After we shot it in 2022 in Slovakia and coming back mid 2024 to finish the trilogy was daunting, to say the least. But it was definitely necessary. It was really just to round out more and fine tune how we get to that finale in movie three, because that was always the same, but just making it feel a little bit more… I think the word is “intimate,” honestly.

You mentioned being a producer. What’s been most satisfying about getting to really work on films in different ways and really shape them from the ground up, compared to when you’re just an actor?

You know, it’s just two completely different situations, right? I mean, as an actor, I get the privilege of coming in and shaping a character as my own, and as a producer who also is acting, I get to be sewn into the fabric of the story in a completely different way. And to have a voice at the table at studios like Lionsgate and franchises like The Strangers at this point in my career, I feel very, very lucky and fortunate to have to really be listened to and heard as a voice. That is meaningful. I think that’s really special and I never take that for granted.

I love that. My last question. As we’ve seen the trailer, you don a Strangers mask in this film. Had you ever had to act with a mask on before? How did that physical prop add to your performance?

I don’t think I have, although in my head I did in Riverdale, but I don’t think I did. I don’t think I have. It was definitely a unique experience, mostly because I spent my entire life running away from those masks as Maya. And so having it on my face made me feel very uncomfortable and out of body, which is how she’s supposed to feel. It actually, it made me realize like when the masks are on The Strangers, it strips away who they really are, which is really interesting to think about. But it was definitely a different experience.

Thanks to Madelaine Petsch for taking the time to talk about The Strangers – Chapter 3.