Extended interview: Amanda Seyfried

I think the city life is great for a visit. Full-time for me it was a little too much. I grew up in the suburbs and I think I always wanted land. I think I just wanted space because space to me feels like safety. I was looking for a place to call my own. I was looking for a place to be myself and I was looking for a place to be kind of like the queen of the castle. Like I just wanted to make my own decisions. And design my own life and have the animals that I always wanted to have. And now I do. And I'm just about to turn 40 and I'm exactly where I want to be. So does 40 upset you? Get in your head a little maybe? It got in my head for a while. But you know I think a lot of people do this. The year you turn a certain number you're always kind of thinking of the next year. Like oh my god I'm 37. I'm so close to 38. So you just tell people you're like I'll be 38. I've noticed the conversation is less about the way you look and how people perceive you in the industry and the audience and the outside world. And more about how you're going to come to terms with paramenopause and menopause. And the loss of your ability to reproduce. It's just it's all the hormonal shifts that happen. Like the conversation is more about what's happening internally and emotionally as opposed to how people are perceiving us. And I do feel like there are a lot of women who have been outspoken about it. Thank god. Like Naomi Watts for instance. And it's just like yes I feel younger now than I probably would have 10 years ago if I was turning 40. I feel like I'm really embracing my 40s in a way that I never would have if we didn't start focusing so much on the power of who we are and what we do in our lives as women. And now I'm like bring it on. I'm yeah okay I'm 40. Do I act like I'm 40 sometimes? Absolutely not. But we're all kids too. And we all if we can embrace all sides of ourselves and like and we're just I guess more at peace. You became a mother. How did Hollywood's perception of Amanda Seyfried change? Oh mom roles. I played a mom. Like Mank I didn't. And in the dropout I didn't. But basically everything else. I was being offered the wife and the mom. And that's not that's not the worst that's not the worst thing in the world. It's not like it wasn't terrifying to me. It was just very it was it was it's unsurprising a little bit sad. But I also was totally game for that because I now am a mother. I can't actually portray it in a way that I wouldn't have been able to if I didn't have that connection to something. I mean I I've I'm people have played mothers time and time again without being mothers and that's that's great. Like you can connect to something in you that's very nurturing and maternal or whatever the character asks for. But I do think I understood it more and things just affect me more deeply than they ever have. And I think it's part of the reason that I was able to you know get to the what felt like the bottom of my soul for Ann Lee and and and in the movie I did A Mouthful of Air about postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. It's like I was able to feel deeply what my character was going through in a way that is really essential for for the audience and the story. And it costs a lot more. But it's also so much more enriching and it's enhanced. Those those are those are more emotionally complex characters. Yeah right. I mean which makes it more interesting I imagine for that. And I've learned this about you. It doesn't take long to learn this about you. You like you you want to be challenged. Yeah badly badly because here's the thing. The challenge is within certain parameters. I'm I'm not going to do things that make me feel like I might die. Like I'm not going to jump off a cliff ever again for a movie but emotionally challenging. Did you jump off a cliff for a movie? I did. In what movie? Mamma Mia. Because there's no real peril in that from the movie standpoint. But for the you sure. For the four of us standing at the top of a cliff? Yeah. How dare they? You know I still think back like we all survived obviously. But but yeah I think I there are parameters. So it's like I'm not going into the deep blue sea. You know I I do I have enough of a lifeboat inside of me to pull me out when things get too tricky or too scary emotionally. I have had enough therapy and enough insight and perspective to know what happens when I may fall too deep into something. And 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 I look back and like I wouldn't want to do that again. But when I'm in it it's it's it's it's more than a challenge. It's it's like a it's like a it's a new life. Yeah. I'm being born into something a new version of myself. The way in with Aunt Leigh is that she was her conviction was everything. Her devotion to God is so powerful. And I think we can all strive to have to be that devoted to something. Because it it makes you feel safe. I mean there are a lot of religion is to me about feeling less alone and finding a way to navigate your life through a higher power. And and she and I love that. I think it's beautiful. Do I need to believe that she levitated? No. I need to believe that she believed 100 percent in what she was saying and what she was doing. And the coolest thing about her is that she created especially in a world where this just did not exist within all the you know the pop up religions that were happening and these men that were preaching the word of God to you know people everywhere all over the place. She was using that to create a utopia. Like just a community of people who would all be treated equally and and who would no longer have sex. But I think the the idea that we that we're better off together working together as equals is still 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. And for all the parts about her story that you know come on you did not talk like that right. But but you but but she used it to create this perfect world whereas. I'm failing almost everything. Well there must be something you're good at. I can put my whole fist in my mouth. Want to see? No. After Mean Girls really the next big thing that we're going to move along and skip over some interesting years. But you know you have this life changing moment at Mean Girls and then there's another life changing moment what four years later. Yeah that was huge. I mean that was really the thing that opened the floodgates in terms of opportunity. And that was hard. That was like a hard one to get a hard one to get. Why was that a hard one to get? There's just a lot of it felt like a lot of hoops. But I also had been working with Playtone who produced it on Big Love the Mormon show. So I kind of they already knew me. And you're going to 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. No I think I think it's really just timing for the studio. I don't know the ins and outs. I know Judy Kramer who created it is working furiously on a script with Benny and Bjorn you know some new music. But I don't know anything past that because I just assume it'll happen exactly 10 years from when we shot the last one which is 17. So we'll shoot it in 2027. Out in 2028. Every 10 years. I know Colin or Pierce was like can we just not wait another 10 years until we do it again. We're like yeah of course we won't. And then of course it'll have gone by. And everybody because everybody keeps working. Everybody's doing. It's not just that. It's just I feel like you need to breathe a little. And then if people the people really want it they'll make it known. I mean we want it but it can't just be a vanity project so we can hang out. We have to like do it with a real an interesting enough storyline. Yeah of course but if the principals all want to do it given the amount of money it makes. I just don't know how they get Meryl back. Yeah that's the tricky part. Because her character is dead. She's a dead person. Yeah it's a dead person. Evil twin. There it is. Go back to your soap opera days. There it is. Boom yeah. David Fincher makes you want to bring it. You don't want to upset daddy. I'm kidding. I'm just kidding. No but he's. There's the director for an actor is like a is teacher. And for the most part they're pretty good teachers. And he's the best. He he knows what he wants. And he has a very specific method of getting it. And he's funny. And you just you want to you want to nail it for him. Because he deserves that. Because he worked so hard. And because especially Mank was such a we was such a passion project for him. Because his dad wrote it. And just it was really hard because I was so insecure. That was the most insecure I'd been in a very long time. Because I knew he was a master. And I knew I knew I could get fired at any moment. And that fear it's just it's the it's the it's the worst and the best. Because you really are as prepared as you could possibly be. And then you have the time to to just keep getting better and going deeper. And getting truer. And and you don't get that those many opportunities. Because you don't get that much time to shoot. I don't know. I don't know how to describe it. He's. I think you are. You're not being hyperbolic. You had a legitimate fear that if you messed up. He'd get fired. Yeah. Somebody else playing Marion Davies. Yeah. I was surprised that he would speak to me about it. When I got the call that I was going to zoom with him like that night. I had to I was shooting A Mouthful of Air. The postpartum depression movie. It's with Brian Koppelman's wife. Amy Koppelman director. Yeah it was her first movie. As she directed. And and we were in it together. She's still one of my closest friends. And we were really in it. But I got the call at lunch. And I was like I have to read this. This 140 page script. Like now. For David Fincher. For tonight. And she's like okay I'll read it with you. And she's directing it. We're on this teeny like micro budget set. And we did it. We I read it. She gave me extra time at lunch. She was like no this is more important than this movie. And and then I talked to him. And I was like I don't want to. I have to sound smart. I have to seem like I'm. I haven't seen every single one of his movies. I've seen a lot of them. I'm I'm I love his movies. And I I love what he does. And I love how he does it. And what I've heard about him. But I'm just like God if I don't. This is this is an opportunity of a lifetime. People see his movies. He makes great movies. Marion Davies. Like my God. It's gonna it's gonna make my dad's life. If I play this character. It's like my whole life felt like it was like. Could possibly. Almost. Fall apart if I didn't get it. So your nervous self is there's an authentic component to you. Right. And I'll be like I'm nervous. Right. Um. And then I that was it. He offered it to me. And then I was like this is a make or break moment for me. You weren't 100% confident that you would nail it. No this and Ann Lee. I'm like I can't do like I can do a New York accent. A New York accent sort of like I can't do it right now. Like it's like it comes more naturally to me than a Manchester accent. In the 1770s. But it was one of those things almost every day. Every day I was just like this. Would you do a Fincher movie again? Yes. I'm dying to do a Fincher movie again. I'm dying for him to see Ann Lee. Here's what he's gonna like. He better like he likes the trailer. Even though. You said even though I wouldn't have the best time doing it. Another Fincher movie. Because there's a lot of self-loathing. But that helps sometimes. My anxiety helps me even though I hate it. It moves something in me in the right direction. That's a good quote. And it's true. Amanda Seyfried once said. I don't agree with that. It does. OCD is specifically something that I've suffered with. From. By. Of. No. It was all-encompassing in my adolescence. Since I was like four or five. Whatever. Has really, really, really helped me. As an actor. It just has anxiety. Generally or generalized anxiety disorder. Whatever. All the things that I have. I've been diagnosed with. It's just it's all. I've been able to channel them in the right ways. And take the right medication to. To use it to my advantage. And to like shut it up when it's not. No longer helpful. For the most part. And that has helped me. That has helped me. Self-loathing. Or self. You know. Insecurity. Self-judgment. All that. Has you know. Has also. At times. Helped me keep my **** together. Yeah. Again. Self-loathing. If it goes too far. You're in real trouble. Yeah because then you can't see clearly. That's right. But if you can. Mitigate it. Yeah. A little self-loathing. Like a little shame. A little shame. Little shame. You can. You can work with. Yeah. Because if you don't have a little shame. You're in denial. Yeah. And you're also. By the way. I would argue. You're also. Probably not that interesting. Yeah. No. Yeah. You know. What are you ashamed of? Nothing. Really? Nothing. You know. So. I know. It's good. But so. Being able to channel in. Is something useful. And that's. And then. A guy like Fincher. That helps. It's also. When you're. Present. In the moment. Or when you're. You know. Anything. Any distraction. From your own anxiety. Which is. To. Perfect. Or. Get close to. As perfect. As you can. Can get. In a moment. For David Fincher. It's. Nothing matters. Right. You're being given. A task. A difficult task. Do the. Great. Do the task. That helps. Right. That's good. Yeah. Give me something to do. Is a. Great way. Keep me busy. Yeah. And it's not just. Busy work. Busy. It's like. It's. Mind acrobatics. It's. It's emotional acrobatics. It's like trying to. Create a moment that. That you're. Like so much of your body. Is trying to keep you. From being able to do. Do you sing for your daughter? I sure do. Actually. She just started playing. Learning guitar. And songwriting. And so. I've been playing guitar. Every once in a while. When I'm home. For the bearded dragon. That we have inside. Because he really likes music. It seems. He hasn't said anything. But I think he does. And so I'll play. Because the reverb is really good. In the kitchen. For the who? Bearded dragon. He's like a lizard. Could you play something? Is that possible? Oh yeah. I think so. Is it. I don't know if it's tuned. I played it yesterday. Oh it's. It's only tuned to the fourth fret. It might sound bad. And it takes too long to tune this. This is. Martin made in Bethlehem. What was I playing yesterday? I was playing an old. Like Britney Spears song. Is that too. My nephew. Taken at his big birthday surprise. At my sister's house last Sunday. This is Monday and we're making pies. I'm making pie. It's a little low.