Madelaine Petsch Does A Lot Of Running And Crying In The Strangers: Chapter 2, And It Was Both A Serious Workout And A Chance To Deploy A Special Skill

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The *Strangers* franchise is known for its home invasion horror, and the new 2025 film, *The Strangers: Chapter 2*, takes a slightly different approach. While the previous movie trapped Madelaine Petsch’s character, Maya, in a terrifying rental home, the sequel follows her as she’s pursued through the unsettling town of Venus, Oregon. This shift moves the story more into the style of a traditional slasher film, meaning Petsch spends a lot of time running and reacting to danger. She described the experience as draining but also a chance to showcase her physical abilities.

I recently spoke with the actress during a virtual press event for *The Strangers: Chapter 2*. We discussed her role as a ‘final girl,’ and I noticed how much running and physical activity were involved. She explained that because her character, Maya, was constantly running from attackers in the movie, she didn’t feel bad about occasionally skipping her workouts during filming. She told me,

It was a really physically demanding job. I didn’t have time for the gym, which I really wished I did. I was barely getting five hours of sleep each night. Still, I felt like I was getting a good workout just from being on set every day, so it all worked out.

The filming process was very demanding. What’s unique about the new *Strangers* trilogy is that all three movies were filmed back-to-back over roughly two months in Bratislava, Slovakia, starting in late 2022. While *Chapter 1* focuses on Maya being scared and trying to stay hidden, *Chapter 2* shows her taking more action and actively trying to escape.

Luckily for Madelaine Petsch, the demanding physical work wasn’t made worse by director Renny Harlin’s approach to filming. I asked her if the scenes requiring a lot of running were harder because they had to be filmed multiple times, but she explained that wasn’t the case.

Renny is a really quick shooter, so I often suggest doing an extra take just to be safe. I tend to worry about getting everything perfect, while Renny is more confident and ready to move on. We’ve learned to work well together – I push for a little extra coverage, and Renny keeps things moving.

So, we’ve talked about the physical demands of the film, but what about the emotional ones? Maya cries throughout nearly all of *The Strangers: Chapter 2*, and that’s where Madelaine Petsch’s ability to cry on cue came in handy. I asked her how she developed this skill, and she explained she’s been able to do it for years. She sheepishly admitted she even used it as a child to get what she wanted from her parents, as Petsch shared,

I’m not sure, you’d have to ask my parents – they probably know better. As a child, I think I cried quite often whenever I felt like it, and I realize now that I sometimes did it to get what I wanted. I don’t do that anymore, but it definitely worked for me back then.

With Gabriel Basso and Ema Horvath joining the cast, *The Strangers: Chapter 2* hits theaters this Friday, just in time for Halloween 2025.

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2025-09-26 04:38