Freida McFadden is singing her praises for Sydney Sweeney.

On Thursday night (April 23), the 45-year-old author stepped out for the 2026 TIME100 Gala in New York City.

In an interview on the red carpet, Freida said that the 28-year-old Emmy-nominated actress was “exactly” what she imagined when she was writing the 2022 novel The Housemaid, which filmmaker Paul Feig adapted into a movie last year.

Keep reading to find out more…“She has the right vibe,” Freida told Us Weekly. “She has this great energy and passion.”

In the movie, Sydney played protagonist Millie, a young woman with a troubled past, who becomes a live-in maid for a wealthy family whose house hides dark secrets. The movie also starred Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar.

In March, it was announced that Kirsten Dunst will be starring alongside Sydney in the sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret.

“I’m so excited about it,” Freida said of the sequel. “We have Kirsten Dunst, who I’ve been a fan of pretty much my whole life.”

“I think it’s gonna [have] completely new twists, completely new family, and I think it’s gonna surprise people,” she added.

Paul Feig will return to direct the sequel, which does not yet have a confirmed release date.

If you didn’t see, Freida finally revealed her real name after years of using a pseudonym and wearing a disguise.