Amy Adams’ Odd Behaviors Unsettled Her Dog Co-Stars in ‘Nightbitch’
TORONTO – In her latest film “Nightbitch,” Amy Adams’ character expresses, “Motherhood is (expletive) brutal,” depicting the wild journey of parenting when her reality becomes increasingly animalistic.
Adapted from Rachel Yoder’s 2021 novel, this dark comedy-drama, set to release on December 6, stars Adams as a mother who leaves her career in the art world to take care of her young son. As she begins to notice dog-like traits appearing on her body—like hair, extra nipples, and what seems to be a tail—she discovers a new way to express her pent-up emotions.
During a Q&A session following the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday night, Adams revealed she decided to both star in and produce “Nightbitch” after reading an initial draft of the book.
“I resonated so deeply with Rachel’s unique narrative. It was distinctly different from anything I had encountered before,” she shared.
Yoder expressed her emotional reactions upon seeing her story adapted for film, admitting, “I honestly thought I wrote a really bizarre book that nobody would engage with. I was genuinely surprised by this outcome.”
Adams remarked on society’s difficulty in discussing motherhood’s more challenging sides, saying, “This film wonderfully explores the isolation often felt in motherhood and parenthood, experiences that are common yet seldom shared.”
In general, “we’re not very comfortable discussing female rage,” Heller noted. “It’s often a topic that goes unaddressed, and there’s a fear surrounding women in this stage of life. So bringing this hidden experience into the light felt liberating.”
The director began working on the adaptation while in the thick of postpartum struggles after her second child was born in 2020. With her husband, comedian Jorma Taccone, busy with a TV project, she found herself home alone with two kids and began writing during their nap times, which proved to be very therapeutic. “My husband was pretty scared when he read it,” she laughed.
Scoot McNairy portrays Adams’ husband in “Nightbitch” and shares that his character initially struggles to grasp what his wife is experiencing. He humorously added, “One lesson I took from this film is never to mansplain motherhood. I hope everyone learns to just listen.”
Adams also worked closely with various dogs on set, as her character builds connections with them, receiving peculiar gifts like dead animals. Heller mentioned they had 12 real dogs on set, each accompanied by trainers hiding in the environment.
In one memorable scene, Adams, playing her increasingly dog-like character, is swarmed by the dogs in her yard. They managed this fine in rehearsals, but during the actual shoot, her character’s head tilt unexpectedly startled the dogs. “They became agitated and started lunging at her, as if they couldn’t handle her strange behavior. It was quite a spectacle,” Heller recounted.
“One dog clearly reacted, ‘That’s not cool,’” Adams said, laughing. “That dog would never trust me after that.”