If there's a breakout movie character in 2025, it's unquestionably Gladys, the villain of Zach Cregger's second feature film "Weapons" played by the unbelievable -- and, until now, wholly underutilized -- Amy Madigan. Madigan, who's otherwise known for "Field of Dreams" and a recurring role on "Grey's Anatomy," is now firmly in the spotlight thanks to Gladys, who -- spoiler alert! -- is some sort of possibly ancient witch who invades a town and uses its residents as human juice boxes to restore her energy. Thanks to her entirely unique and garish look consisting of bright, smeared lipstick, a bizarre red wig with baby bangs, and mismatched clothes, Gladys has become one of the more recognizable horror characters in recent memory, but it's Madigan's incredible performance that brings the bizarre horror to life.
According to a profile in The Hollywood Reporter, though, Madigan was on the verge of quitting acting entirely before Cregger, thankfully, saw fit to cast her in "Weapons." As her husband and fellow industry veteran, Ed Harris, told interviewer David Canfield, "There was a long period of time where she really didn't work at all, or very little. She was considering just stopping and giving up on it."
Madigan then chimed in, telling Canfield that sometimes people would confront her about her career in the wild. "Let's say I'd be in the airport and someone recognized me -- they'd go, 'Oh, are you still acting?' or 'So what are you doing? Did you give up acting?' " Madigan recalled. "Those kinds of questions, just straight out!"
Then, thankfully, "Weapons" came along and changed everything for Madigan almost overnight. "I was telling everybody, 'Hey, I'm going to play this really wild lady,'" Madigan shared. "Then it came out, and it turned into something else."