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The Haunting of Hill House star Kate Siegel aims to "nuture kindness" and fan the flames of excitement as she does more directing

Writer/director Mike Flanagan is "a lighthouse" for the kind of director Kate Siegel wants to be.

You know Kate Siegel as a scream queen for her formidable track record in horror movies & TV series such as Oculus, Hush, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher, but recently she's started expanding her horizons by stepping behind the camera as a director. Siegel made her directing debut with the short 'Stowaway' in Shudder's V/H/S/Beyond horror anthology in 2024, and as she tells us, directing is really all about "leadership and kindness" - and no screaming!

"Honestly, it’s been a learning curve; one I’ve really enjoyed," Siegel tells Popverse. "I’ve found a lot of freedom being an actor part of a team – the acting department. We’re in a bubble, and there’s a certain intimacy to it. Directing requires certain skills, and I have an incredible role model with Mike; his organic leadership and kindness. Having that goal in mind, I aim to run a set the way a Flanagan set is run. It’s a lighthouse to the type of person I want to be as a director. It’s a fun thing."

With 'Stowaway,' Siegel says she's also having more of a mind for the big picture of a project instead of a singular vision for her character, while at the same time nurturing those singular visions for all her actors.

"Directing is also about being a team leader," says Siegel. "When actors visualize a movie or TV show in their head and then show up on set, they’re at the service of the director. Directors have to have a vision for all the roles and be in a space to explain and collaborate with everyone. My goal is to keep everyone excited, to nuture kindness, and to inspire."

While nothing has been announced (yet), Siegel is hungry for more - especially if it means being able to collaborator a director with her husband, and further their bond as partners.

"I loved directing, and I hope to do so much more of it in the future. Collaborating with Mike is one of the greatest joys in my life, but I’m always looking," says Siegel. "I dream of the time I can direct and Mike can produce, or vice-versa. It opens more doors for collaboration and more ways to get to work together."

You can read our full interview with Siegel and her longtime collaborator (and husband!) Mike Flanagan here.


Kate Siegel bares her soul in Midnight Mass monologue on death, and its personal ties to family & Leonard Cohen.

Chris Arrant

Chris Arrant: Chris Arrant is the Popverse's Editor-in-Chief. He has written about pop culture for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel, Newsarama, CBR, and more. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. (He/him)

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