Amanda Seyfried may be promoting her latest project on Peacock but she is also looking back on her body of work.
In a career spanning interview with “Happy, Sad, Confused” podcast host Josh Horowitz, Seyfried gave previously unseen insights into her career. The conversation began with Seyfried appearing to be almost nostalgic and contemplative about her work.
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“I knew I had made it to a new sphere in that I felt less scared of my place in the industry. Because things are fleeting. Everything is like a wave,” she tells Horowitz. “The good thing is nothing stays static. Nothing is static. And that’s always been something I’ve reminded myself of.”
She then goes into how “Mamma Mia” opened doors for her.
“…Over the years, the opportunities still… were still there, but they’re different and they evolve as you evolve,” Seyfried continues. “And all depending on the choices you make, but also the fact that you are evolving and getting older and are attracted to different things.”
Seyfried also gushed about auditioning for David Lynch. She was not at a loss for words when she spoke about the late director. She lamented his prowess as a director and how he worked with actors. Lynch would cast her in season three of the series “Twin Peaks.”
On her new show, Seyfried Expresses Relation to her Character
Later in the discussion, Horowitz brings up Seyfried’s current project – “Long Bright River” on Peacock. She mentions how much she wanted to play the lead role, even if it is a role she has not done before.
“…She’s a human being with a very specific set of circumstances. She’s a single mother. I know what it’s like to be a mother. She works her ass off,” Seyfried says. “There’s all these things that make her a human being, and she also happens to be a cop.”
She acknowledges her character’s job is not all that the character is meant to be defined as. Seyfried also insisted there is a lot of power in the cop position but that others in the same group misuse that power.
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The chat shifted into a pseudo-look into the working life of an actor as things tend to blend together when they are out of their regular home environment.
“…It’s all like being away, being out of my family dynamic and into this singular, like living in a tiny apartment and going to work and being at work for 15 hours a day,” Seyfried tells Horowitz. “It’s just like, it’s a different zone.”
“I measure time differently. It’s just a different rhythm.”
Seyfried says she is used to that specific part of the job. Horowitz interjects, telling her that part of acting is different when people are younger. They can disappear and not have to worry about extraneous parts of their lives like families. However, it gets tougher as you get older.
A Rapid Fire Round of All Things Amanda
Horowitz pivoted into talking about what Seyfried was like when she was an aspiring tween actor.
She was a massive fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, putting one of his posters on a wall by itself. She also had Abercrombie and Fitch models as well as various cutouts from teen magazines. Seyfried did eventually end up working with DiCaprio – auditioning for Baz Luhrman’s “The Great Gatsby” which starred the storied heartthrob. While she did not end up getting a role in the film, she gushed about Luhrman doing chemistry reads with possible cast members.
Horowitz asked about “Mean Girls” and the legacy surrounding that. Seyfried only has fond memories about her first role.
“We all just got along so beautifully. It was so unadulterated fun,” Seyfried says as she allows the memories to flood back. “I was 17, and Lacey [Chabert] and I would watch movies in her hotel room and listen to Dido in her trailer.”
“And then it becomes a forever moment. A moment locked in time, a timeless film, like timeless humor, Seyfried says. “I hope they quote it on my grave.”
Horowitz then asked when she felt she had enough clout to speak up about things in her career where she felt her voice was not being heard.
“I think it was a couple years, about three years ago, I was just so uncomfortable in certain dynamics,” Seyfried recalls. “And I was a producer as well. And I was the leader of the speaking up party.”
She continued, saying that people should not have to fear going to work. Adding in that she had moments where she was uncomfortable and asked if the note could be passed along the right chain, Seyfried indicated that sometimes the moments could be more diplomatic.
The two then jumped into the topic of a “Jennifer’s Body” sequel. Seyfried goes on record saying the idea has been floated around although nothing is official.
Horowitz then asked about Seyfried originally being floated as Gamora in 2014’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” to which she responded of not liking the idea of spending hours in a makeup chair or being stuck in London filming for half of the year. She was also concerned about the movie bombing.
“I was way too scared. I was at a precarious moment in my career, and I didn’t want to suffer for the work. And I think sitting there for four and a half hours every morning and every night just seemed like it wasn’t going to be fun,” Seyfried says.
“I just didn’t want to do it because I had done some green screen stuff and it wasn’t in my cup of tea. And I don’t regret anything that I, any decision that I made, I made it for myself in the moment that I made it. It was good for me then and it’s good for me now.”
“Happy, Sad, Confused” features host Josh Horowitz talking to celebrities as they cover their career spanning achievements and pitfalls. Listen wherever you get podcasts.
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Amanda Seyfried Talks New Peacock Show, Her Place In The Industry In Podcast Appearance: “Everything Is Like A Wave”