Margaret Qualley Prepares British Accent for Psychological Thriller ‘Victorian Psycho’

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Margaret Qualley is diving deep into her role as a psychopathic governess in the upcoming psychological thriller Victorian Psycho, even practicing her British accent and wearing a corset at home to prepare for the part. The film, directed by Zachary Wigon, is set to begin production soon and is based on Virginia Feito’s upcoming novel of the same name.

In Victorian Psycho, Qualley plays Winifred Notty, an eccentric governess who arrives at the remote Ensor House in 1858. While teaching the children table manners and family history, she hides her psychopathic tendencies. As staff members begin to disappear, the estate’s owners grow suspicious of their new governess. Thomasin McKenzie, known for her roles in Old and Last Night in Soho, will co-star as a nursemaid who befriends Winifred.

Qualley, who has worked with acclaimed directors like Quentin Tarantino and Yorgos Lanthimos, is stepping into uncharted territory with her first British accent. “I’ve never done a British accent before, so that’s terrifying,” Qualley told IndieWire. “I’ve been working on the accent, and my poor husband, I’ve limited our movies to only British accent movies.”

To fully embody her Victorian-era character, Qualley has also been wearing a corset at home. “It’s actually not as bad as you think if it fits well, and it’s kind of fun,” she said. “I’m just trying to get used to moving a little bit differently.”

The film is produced by Dan Kagan under his Traffic banner, alongside Wigon and Sebastien Raybaud, in association with Anonymous Content. Anton is financing the project and handling international rights, with A24 securing domestic distribution. Wigon expressed his excitement about the project, calling Feito’s screenplay “an audacious blend of psychodrama, satire, gore, and mystery.”

Qualley, who recently starred in Coralie Fargeat‘s body horror film The Substance, is no stranger to challenging roles. She will also appear in Richard Linklater‘s Lorenz Hart biopic Blue Moon and Ethan Cohen‘s Honey Don’t!, where she plays a private investigator investigating a cult led by Chris Evans.

Despite her extensive experience working with top directors, Qualley has no plans to step behind the camera herself. “I don’t really have any big directing ambitions,” she said. “I really like just love working with people that I feel like know more about movies than I do and learning from them.”

Victorian Psycho is set to launch sales at the upcoming American Film Market, with production expected to begin shortly after.