This Is Why Eileen's Original Ending Had to Change

After premiering at this year's Sundance Film Festival, the screen adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh's award-winning novel, Eileen, is now in theaters with an ensemble cast at its core. While promoting their film's release, Moshfegh, Luke Goebel who co-wrote the screenplay with the author, and filmmaker William Oldroyd (Lady Macbeth) spoke with Collider's Steve Weintraub about the work put into adapting this expectation-defying thriller.

Starring Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, and Shea Whigham, Eileen takes place in the 1960s and follows a young girl (McKenzie) through her dreary day-to-day. From the house with her alcoholic father (Whigham) to the prison where she works, Eileen's life is unremarkable, until one day when the enigmatic Rebecca (Hathaway) is hired on as the prison's psychologist.

If you think you know where this plot is heading, writers Moshfegh and Goebel assure Weintraub they were careful to stick to their unique vision for the film. Even fans who read the book will be surprised by the altered ending. Oldroyd, Moshfegh, and Goebel discuss how working independently was the right approach and allowed them to avoid having to "sand off any of the edges" of their script. They detail the editing process, share their experience watching Eileen with the audience at Sundance, and share the plot of the trio's next project together. You can watch the full interview in the video above the article, or read the transcript below.

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