“I don’t want to be bored, do you?” Amanda Seyfried asks over Zoom in late February.
At 39, she’s been acting for more than half of her life, but only recently has she exuded a level of confidence she admits she lacked for the majority of her career. Recent accolades have helped — see the 2021 Oscar nomination for Mank and the 2022 Emmy win for embodying Silicon Valley hoaxer Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout — as has the move away from Hollywood to the faraway Catskills farm she shares with husband Thomas Sadoski, their two kids and many animals. But realizing when to pass on a project is what really helped things click into place.
These days, there’s plenty to keep Seyfried engaged. Her latest miniseries, Peacock’s true-crime drama Long Bright River, drops March 13; then there’s the planned Venice premiere for Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist follow-up, a 1700s-set musical about Shakers founder Ann Lee, in which she stars. And she’s already got a burgeoning scheme for her December birthday. “I’m turning 40, and I want to get drunk and go to Target with my friends,” she says. “I want to get properly brunched and walk around Target for as long as I fucking want.”
You’re producing more of your work. What’s been the big lesson?
Some people trust actors and some people don’t. And that’s OK. This sounds so privileged, but I didn’t realize in my deal on The Housemaid, which I just filmed with Sydney Sweeney, that I was also an executive producer. The second week in, I looked at the call sheet and saw it. I asked one of the producers if it was correct, and he’s like, “Yep, that’s what your agent fought for.” So there are those projects … and there are others I’m very, very involved in: Long Bright River, The Dropout. I earned that credit on The Dropout.
Speaking of The Dropout, did you ever hear from Elizabeth Holmes?
No. It’s better that way because you know what? I’d probably be friends with her. (Laughs.)
She made an allusion to your performance in a pre-jail New York Times interview. She said you weren’t playing her but a character she created.
That story was weepy. I can’t describe it any other way than moist. But how do you spend that much time with someone with that kind of personality, that kind of juice, and want to write something bad? That’s why I never want to hang out with people that I don’t like. I know that it’s going to confuse me. But Elizabeth Holmes — sorry, Liz — was just on the cover of People with a prison interview! Those articles breed empathy.
Back to producing. Reese Witherspoon talks about the lack of roles for women, prompting her own moves. Was that a consideration for you?
Yes. Emmy Rossum and I have been developing something, and I told her in the beginning: “This is both of us getting the ball rolling. After that, I don’t want to do the heavy lifting. You have a production company, and I don’t — for a reason.” She gets it, but I might be the only actor left who’s only freelance producing.
So we won’t see a vanity card from you anytime soon?
No, I crochet. Crocheting takes up a lot of time.
You’re from Pennsylvania. You play a Philly cop in the new show, but there’s no Delco accent. That was obviously a choice, no?
I’m not giving any accent. The other producers were just like, “Stay away! We’re not doing that.” I grew up in Allentown, like 45 minutes from Philadelphia proper, with no accent. But I’d go down because everybody went to colleges there, including my sister. One time, when I was 14 years old, I got really stoned on pot that I believe was heavily laced with PCP. So, I knew Philly in a very specific way. (Laughs.)
I’m assuming the SNL spoof of Kate Winslet in Mare of Easttown played a part in not attempting the accent?
Nobody wanted the audience to burn out on that accent. And that’s not to take anything away from the people who made Mare of Easttown, which was incredible. Fuck yeah, take me there with that accent! And they did. It didn’t lose me, but the spoof was funny. SNL is good at that stuff.
A lot of times, people just want a murder mystery. But Long Bright River detours heavily into the opioid crisis and police corruption. Was that part of the appeal?
Yeah, it’s genre — but they were filling it with the realities of the struggle in Kensington and putting the opioid crisis at the forefront. It’s smart, because why make TV if we’re not stepping in other people’s shoes? Why make TV if we’re not learning something about somebody else? You always just hope that people want to see it. I’m worried people don’t have Peacock. That’s my fucking worry.
You’re also dropping real close to that very noisy corridor when everyone floods the pipeline before the Emmy eligibility window closes.
April and May, baby! We were supposed to drop in January, the same week as American Primeval — a very different show. I wasn’t worried. Then I had to do this other movie and here we are. It’s heavy, and there’s a lot of good stuff coming out. There’s also a lot of shit.
Speaking of which, I just watched the first episode of the Alec Baldwin reality show. We don’t have to discuss that.
That was my apartment building in New York! I moved. But I’d always get the remnants of their paparazzi. I’d have to be photographed, and I hated it because I don’t ever go out camera ready. That’s not why I moved, by the way. But I’m interested in watching. Why are we so interested in other people’s lives?
What’s the quickest way for an offer to get a “yes” from you?
The people. My agent called and said Paul Feig was working on this movie based on a best-seller. It’s a New Jersey shoot. And Sydney Sweeney is in it. I said, “Go for it. But negotiate.” (Laughs). I didn’t even need to read anything.
And what’s an easy “no”?
Something recently came along that had a huge budget. I knew that it could be a payday, but it sounded like a fucking joke. I was like, “So, I’ll be playing the same role that I played in this and this and this and this?”
What is this role you’re over?
Those leading roles, where you’re just the audience and they need to see the world through you. It can get frustrating for people who like to play characters. That’s why The Dropout was so special. I was the lead, but I was this strange person. I wasn’t the audience.
The one making things happen, not having things happen to them?
Exactly. The thing I used to do in my 20s and early 30s. “I’m young and in love, but I have to deal with all these circumstances — looking for my sister, running away from something.” I am not interested in being away from my family for that. And I don’t run anymore. I have no cartilage in my knees.
There’s more and more chatter about a third Mamma Mia! movie.
Show me the money! (Laughs.) Producer Judy Craymer is always working on it, but Universal still has to release Wicked 2. The first Wicked had to stall when Mamma Mia! 2 was getting made. It’s an either/or situation with musicals. And I have this theory that Universal just knows we’re going to do it, so they’re not in any rush. And it’s just going to cost double.
Meryl Streep said she’ll return, but they killed off her character in the last one. Any idea how that works?
Maybe that’s the stall. They still haven’t figured out how to bring her back from the dead. From what I was told, that was her choice — so maybe it’s on her to write it. (Laughs.) I’m sure she has ideas. Meryl’s a genius. But I hope they figure it out. The one day that she was on set for the last movie was when it finally felt like we were all together again.
What’s the project you didn’t expect to do as well as it did — and then the one that didn’t hit as big as you thought it would?
The success of Mean Girls blows my mind to this day. I was only 17, and, 20 years later, 11-year-olds still come up to me on the street to ask me about it. And I thought Jennifer’s Body was going to be huge. Diablo Cody, Karyn Kusama, Megan Fox … we had all the ingredients, and it just didn’t happen. But it aged well. I think there’s going to be another one of that, too. We’re all game.
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold are coming off of a real hot run with The Brutalist. You just wrapped filming on their latest project which is an original musical about Shakers founder Ann Lee. Is it as bonkers as it sounds?
It’s really crazy. I haven’t seen it. But Brady just texted me that he saw the first cut. He loves it, and he’s not biased about his own work. He’s not one to fucking blow smoke. Brady and Mona are dear friends of mine. They’ve scraped by making incredible indie movies. This is what they’re good at. And I got to play a famous cult leader in a musical set in the 1770s! All of the fun things. The hardest part about that shoot was flying the whole fucking family to Budapest — with the dog, who’s 15 and a half by the way, and needs lot of support.
No quarantine issues for pets?
No, but you can’t bring the meat in for the dog food. Well, sorry, Hungary. I didn’t declare any of my meat.
OK, this is a weird one, but your IMDB profile says you’re related to Blythe Denner and Gwyneth Paltrow.
No, it doesn’t! Who wrote that?
I guess most anyone could have. It’s like Wikipedia.
I am not related to them. And I know who I’m related to. I just did that PBS Show, Finding Your Roots. I have a distant cousin who’s also actress, Amy Ryan. I also learned, my great, great, great grandfather got murdered in his pretzel shop.
On Mank, which earned you an Oscar nomination, you said you felt as if you were going to get fired every time you left rehearsal. Is imposter syndrome still something you struggle with?
I don’t feel that way anymore. Recognition does help. It validates you. Can’t deny that. But life’s too short to worry, because then you can’t perform. If I truly don’t understand something, I’ll have an honest conversation about how to get it — or walk away. It has a lot to do with having 20 years of experience. I’ve earned the shoes that I’m wearing on these sets. It takes way too long to feel that way, especially for women. But, fuck, thank God I do now.
This story appeared in the March 6 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
Source: Hollywoodreporter
