The candid Amanda Seyfried speaks

You know who's looking fine tonight? Seth Mosekowski. Okay, you did not just say that. What? He's a good kisser. He is your cousin. Yeah, but he's my first cousin. Right. Amanda Seyfried has been acting almost non-stop since her standout role in Mean Girls some 20 years ago. So where does she go to get away from it all? To the spot where she's in conversation with Ben Mankiewicz. I have an idea. Here's what you're going to do. You're going to hold this. Wait, wait, don't throw it. I'm going to go in. And I'm going to put it on the hill. Breakfast is served on Amanda Seyfried's upstate New York farm. I could have thrown it there. You know what? You could have. Which means feed the horses. Hi. And that's Billy. They just want to be scratched. The goats. They just want to be loved. And Cliff. This pony is 35 years old. You like this, right? I love it. I love it because nothing else matters because they need to get fed. It's a responsibility that keeps me focused on what's important. Hi. What's up, goats? What is it about this place that makes you feel whatever it is that makes you feel? You know, I don't know if you know this, but Hollywood is very, it's tricky. And it's got a lot of personalities. There are a lot of people that are working in a way that doesn't necessarily make it feel like a safe place. This is exactly what I've always wanted. And this is Polly. She's so sweet. Hi, Polly. You're not putting on a show for these cameras. You like this. This part of the day is good, right? I don't know any of these guys. No, yeah, this is it. Last night it was raining. It was pouring. And, you know, I was doing the same. I just didn't look this nice. Wouldn't it be funny if it was so cold that the gator didn't start? This is where Seyfried lives. But she goes where the work is. And there's been plenty of it. As Karen. I'm kind of psychic. I have a bit sense. Memorably clueless in Mean Girls. It's like I have ESPN or something. Later as Sophie in the mega-hit Mamma Mia. A big change of pace came in 2020, starring as early Hollywood actress Marion Davies in Mank. When my own mother heard he was one of the richest men in America, she said, kick a little higher. The film earned Seyfried an Oscar nomination. You want to be challenged. Yeah. Badly. Badly, because here's the thing. The challenge is within certain parameters. I have had enough therapy and enough insight and perspective to know what happens when I may fall too deep into something. And I have enough tools and support to not let that happen. So every time I say it's a challenge, it's really hard. And I look back and I'm like, I wouldn't want to do that again. But when I'm in it, it's more than a challenge. It's a new life. I'm being born into something, a new version of myself. I'm just going to say I think you might be overqualified. Her commitment is right there on the screen in two movies out next month. I want you to feel safe here. The psychological thriller The Housemaid. I do. Co-starring Sydney Sweeney. I hunger answers. And the dramatic musical The Testament of Anne Lee. I hunger answers. Seyfried plays Anne Lee in this 18th century story of the founder of the Shakers. There she caught the eye of a man of the same faith, Abraham. A religious sect that embraced equality and chastity, even inside a marriage. Her conviction was everything. The coolest thing about her is that she created a utopia. The idea that we're better off working together as equals, it still rings true to this day. Like if you take away power and control of each other, there's nothing we can't do. The role has made Seyfried an Oscar contender. The cast received a long-standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival. I worked my ass off in this specific experience, and I've worked my ass off throughout my career. And I've stayed true to who I am. I've definitely changed and evolved and become a better person. Do I still make mistakes? Uh-huh. Yeah. Do I still make bad choices? Yeah. But I'm human, and I'm doing the best I can. And I'm nice. And I'm f***ing nice. Because there's no other reason not to be. I can testify. She is nice. I feel like I should have helped with that. No, it's okay. And refreshingly honest. Raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Seyfried studied acting and music as a kid. Did some modeling, too. He's not so bad. In high school, she was a regular on a soap opera. I guess I kind of feel sorry for him, losing his mom and all. What soap opera? All My Children. And how long were you on that? Ten months. Why'd you leave? Why did I leave? Why did Megan McTavish write me off? I don't know. Ask her. Getting fired, even at 17. Hurt. She figured acting was over. So she enrolled at New York's Fordham University. Sort of. I took the elevator up. And then I stood there looking at the elevators. And then I took the escalator down. And then I went home. That was my time at Fordham. First day and last day, same day. Yep. Immediately after college, she landed an audition for Mean Girls, her first big break. Mamma Mia was her second. It led to a sequel. And maybe a trilogy? And you're gonna do a third one? Yeah, absolutely. Do we know anything about the story? No, I think if we all decide that we'll do it for free, they'll be like, Cool, let's do it tomorrow. I know Judy Kramer, who created it, is working furiously on a script. I just assume it'll happen exactly ten years from when we shot the last one, which is 17, so we'll shoot it in 2027. Out in 2028. Every ten years. I just don't know how they get Meryl back. Yeah, that's the tricky part. Because her character is dead. Evil twin? There it is. Go back to your soap opera days. There it is. Boom. If you understand that early that you're at risk. Some character traits stay with Seyfried. And we'd like to see a world in which every person. Like the voice of Elizabeth Holmes, the Theranos founder convicted of fraud in The Dropout. What do you dream will be true by 2025? The role won Seyfried an Emmy. That less people have to say goodbye too soon to the people they love. How would Elizabeth Holmes tell her daughter, Clean a room or no screen time? Mommy said that you can't have any more screens if you don't clean your room. I don't know. I mean, I don't look anything like her, but it's like she just speaks very differently. Well, I've had some practice lately. It's her own way of speaking. She can't change it. Seyfried is candid about everything. Including battling serious anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. Obstacles she believes help her as an actor. All the things that I have, I've been diagnosed with, I've been able to channel them in the right ways and take the right medication to use it to my advantage and to shut it up when it's no longer helpful, for the most part. And that has helped me. Self-loathing, self-judgment, all that, at times, helped me keep my s**t together. Seyfried, who turns 40 this week, is married to actor Thomas Sadowski. They have two children. Her daughter was close by during our conversation. I don't know if it's tuned. I played it yesterday. As was a guitar. It's one of many instruments she plays. She was looking right at her daughter as she sang. Seeing her in her own house, this farm upstate, surrounded by family and animals. He's just a very nice guy, correct? Reveals a grounded movie star. I love him so much. Living a grounded life. Thank you. It's my world now, like I've been in it for 25 years or whatever and I totally feel at home in it. And people know me well enough. I don't feel like I have anything to prove. I'm nice to people. I'm not trying to cover up any scandals. And I'm not trying to, yet, wait. And I'm not trying to hide any, or run away from any bad press. So it's like, I've made it easy for myself. So far.