The Strays cast break down Netflix’s twisted new thriller inspired by Jordan Peele and Michael Haneke

gamesradar.com:

Inspired by Jordan Peele’s movies Us and Get Out with a dash of Michael Haneke’s Funny Games and Hidden, Netflix’s new thriller The Strays explores the dark psychology around someone living a double life. 

Created by Nathaniel Martello-White in his feature film debut, the story focuses on private school deputy head Neve (Ashley Madekwe) who’s privileged life with her husband Ian (Justin Salinger) and their two children Sebastian (Samuel Small) and Mary (Maria Almeida) begins to fall apart when some shadowy figures arrive in their small town. Played by Bukky Bakray and Jorden Myrie, the new arrivals wreak havoc on Neve’s carefully constructed life, to some disastrous effects.

Delving any more into what happens will cross into spoiler territory, but it's fair to say things get quite weird as Martello-White’s Netflix movie grapples with race, class, and generational trauma. "It’s such a strong script," Neve star Ashley Madekwe raves to GamesRadar+ about the movie. "It’s a story that I haven’t seen told before from a perspective I hadn’t even thought of."

"There are so many layers to all of them, and the way that the narrative unfolds is a really interesting way of telling the story too," agrees her co-star Jorden Myrie, who plays Marcus in the movie. For more on the film’s genre-twisting narrative and inspirations, check out our Q&A with the cast below, edited for length and clarity.

The Strays has a lot of horror and thriller touchstones but is also about flipping a lot of the genre to keep audiences guessing. Was this something that appealed to you about the project?

Ashley Madekwe: It kind of defies genre in a way. There are horror elements but that’s only in the first act, and then you realize, ‘oh this is something