Sydney Sweeney is truly embodying her Oscar statuette ambitions by wearing nothing but gold paint on her latest magazine cover.
The 28-year-old star celebrated her biggest movies of 2025—the well-reviewed thriller The Housemaid and more tepidly received boxer biopic Christy—on the cover of W Magazine’s Annual Best Performances Issue, released on January 6. Fittingly, the accompanying images the among the most striking of Sweeney’s career, as she tastefully poses au naturel with a glistening gold glow and a curly bob haircut reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe.
The eye-popping W Magazine cover follows Sweeney’s other recent evocations of Hollywood’s Golden Era. For The Housemaid’s Los Angeles premiere, Sweeney donned a white halter-neck dress (pictured above) that nodded to the gown Monroe wore in her iconic breezy scene from The Seven Year Itch. And for the film’s New York screening, she walked the red carpet in a vintage-inspired plunging silk dress by Miu Miu featuring crystals, a train, a bow at the waist, and a feathery stole.
With a 73 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, The Housemaid is Sweeney’s most acclaimed movie of the year. In her W Magazine interview, she revealed that she was such a diehard fan of the original book by Freida McFadden, she personally pushed for a silver screen adaptation.
“The moment I opened the first page, I did not put it down until I finished,” said Sweeney, who also served as an executive producer of The Housemaid. “I knew there was a script circulating, and I went after it. I came onboard and worked with Lionsgate to package the film. I love being able to be part of building the entire world, not just my actor’s world. It’s like a giant puzzle that I get to put together. And I’m obsessed with [co-star] Amanda [Seyfried]. She’s my spirit animal. She’s made me feel more comfortable just being myself.”
She won’t have to work as hard to get the sequel, dubbed The Housemaid’s Secret, which has already been greenlit by Lionsgate, with Paul Fieg returning to direct. The film will adapt the second installment of author Freida McFadden’s bestselling book trilogy, continuing the saga of Millie Calloway, the protagonist played by Sweeney.
“It’s clear from both the global box office and from the outpouring on social media that audiences have responded strongly—and audibly—to the totally unique and truly theatrical experience of The Housemaid and want to know what happens next,” Adam Fogelson, chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement.
The story will follow Millie (Sweeney) as she takes a new housekeeping job for a wealthy Manhattan couple, the Garricks. Just like the first film, she quickly realizes that behind their perfect facade lies a dangerous and twisted secret—specifically involving the wife, who never seems to leave her room.
Filming for The Housemaid’s Secret is expected to being in late 2026 before a tentative theatrical release in 2027.
