As Luca Guadagnino prepares his fresh take on American Psycho, one original cast member has pitched a return. Chloë Sevigny, who played Patrick Bateman’s secretary Jean in Mary Harron’s 2000 cult classic, recently revealed she floated the idea of reprising the role to Guadagnino himself.
“When I heard that Guadagnino was maybe doing it, I pitched to him that I should play Jean again and that they do that reverse-ageing on me,” Sevigny told IndieWire. “I thought that would be something that he would be into, conceptually having the same actress play the same part.”
Though intrigued, Guadagnino didn’t bite — at least not on that idea. “He said he was going to think of something else for me,” Sevigny added.
The new American Psycho adaptation, announced last October, is being developed at Lionsgate with Contagion writer Scott Z Burns attached to script. Guadagnino’s version will reportedly remain faithful to Bret Easton Ellis’ original 1991 novel, not Harron’s film adaptation. That book, infamous for its graphic violence and social satire, has long been a subject of controversy, censorship, and cult fascination.
Sevigny starred opposite Christian Bale in the original film, which also featured Reese Witherspoon, Jared Leto, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, and Samantha Mathis. While Guadagnino’s casting for Bateman and other key characters has yet to be confirmed, actors like Patrick Schwarzenegger and Austin Butler have publicly expressed interest in the lead.
Sevigny will next be seen in Guadagnino’s upcoming thriller After the Hunt, suggesting her collaboration with the director may still be in the works, even if not in American Psycho.
