‘Housemaid’ trailer – Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried lock horns
Sydney Sweeney stars as a woman who works as a live-in maid for an unpredictable wife (Amanda Seyfried) in psychological thriller “The Housemaid.”
The bestselling author known to the world as Freida McFadden is revealing her true identity.
McFadden, whose prolific output includes “The Housemaid” and other domestic thrillers, uses a pseudonym, wig and glasses to maintain her privacy in public. When she first began publishing, she lived a Hannah Montana-worthy double life as a doctor but kept the two personas separate.
It may seem like a mystery ripped from one of her books, but McFadden never intended it to be. But as her popularity grew, so did the secret. On the heels of the first “Housemaid” movie (starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried) and a second one on the way, not to mention a slew of new bestsellers, McFadden says “it’s time” to reveal her identity.
“I’m at a point in my career when I’m tired of this being a secret. I’m tired of people debating if I’m a real person or if I’m three men,” McFadden says. “I am a real person and I have a real identity and I don’t have anything to hide.”
Freida McFadden reveals real identity to USA TODAY
Outside of the book world, McFadden is Sara Cohen, a doctor who treats brain disorders. And though it looks like a disguise, she really does wear glasses. The hair is a wig, but only because “I have no idea how to style my hair,” she tells USA TODAY in a phone interview.
“It’s so much more boring than anything that happens in my books,” McFadden says.
McFadden only created the pseudonym because she didn’t want her writing career to conflict with her hospital job.
“My whole goal was to keep it a secret until I was (ready to) step back from my doctor job, so it wouldn’t be like everyone I work with suddenly knew and it compromised my ability to do my job,” McFadden says. In late 2023, she stopped working full-time. “But I have stepped away from my job. I’m only working like once or twice a month.”
But her coworkers did find out, she says, and they were “really nice about it” and kept her secret. Many of them were fans of her books and had no idea they were working with the author herself. She’s started bringing books into the hospital.
“I just realized I was completely overwhelmed from trying to do both,” she says.
Though McFadden is now “unmasked,” she’s adamant she’s still the same writer her readers know and love. She’s glad to have shed the secret she never meant to keep, but she wants the book world to still know her as “Freida.”
“Even though I haven’t told my real name until now, I feel like I have shared the real me all along and everything I’ve told them has been the truth,” McFadden says. “Even though the name will be a surprise, nothing else will. I’ve always been genuine with my readers.”
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at [email protected].
