This week’s Take Ten guest is Amanda Seyfried.
Currently starring in the Mona Fastvold-directed film The Testament of Ann Lee, a musical following the founder of the Shaker movement, Seyfried gets into singing, a very unexpected Channing Tatum story and er … purring like a cat (no joke).
Set in the 19th century, the film follows Seyfried’s character Ann as she battles prejudice and even violence in her mission to promote peace and acceptance. She, her husband (Christopher Abbott) and her followers (including characters played by Lewis Pullman and Thomasin McKenzie) practiced a form of worship marked by ecstatic dancing of “shaking” — hence the name Shakers — and traveled from England to to New York to spread the word.
Director Mona Fastvold (center) and Amanda Seyfried (right) on the set of ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’
Searchlight Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Seyfried was moved to tell the story of Ann Lee because she “created a space where everybody was equal. Gender and race didn’t matter. Everybody’s created equal. And they all built a life for themselves together.”
She also said that she hopes audiences take away from the film “that we have not changed that much as human beings. We still want the same things. We still want to be loved and protected, to feel safe, to feel like we belong to something. We don’t want to feel lonely. We want to feel seen, and those basic needs unite us. And I think this movie is a great reminder that we haven’t changed, in a way that I think is comforting.”
Seyfried also recently appeared in Paul Feig’s film The Housemaid opposite Sydney Sweeney. Asked to describe the experience in a sentence, Seyfried said, “Bananas! Like the most delicious, not-too-ripe banana, the one that feels like a meal, but then you’re hungry 15 minutes later.”
She said that working with Sweeney involved “a lot of laughs” and that they have “very similar processes.” She added, “We’re playing very different people at first, but then very similar people by the end. So I think the bond that we had, creating it, having the same process, feeling safe with each other, was really informative for how the entire shoot was going to go.”
Amanda Seyfried in ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’
Searchlight Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
And that Channing Tatum story? It happened on the set of the 2010 movie Dear John. “He and I effed with each other the entire movie in a super, super fun way,” she said. “He’s very, very funny, and we had a great time.” And, get ready for the next part: “He peed on my leg once, without me knowing. He peed on my leg on the beach, and I didn’t realize at first, and then I was like, oh, that’s why he’s standing so close to me. There was a coffee cup very close by, and a little bit got in the coffee cup, and he ran away as I was screaming. One of the makeup artists picked it up and was about to drink it, and I saved her.”
We also dig into the TV shows and films that have inspired her the most, her go-to karaoke song (not what you might expect), her dreams of playing guitar on screen and maybe even playing Dolly Parton.
(L-R) Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in ‘The Housemaid’
Lionsgate / Courtesy Everett Collection
Plus, Seyfried revealed something about her upcoming television series based on Carl Hiaasen’s book, Skinny Dip. She said, “I need a comedy. I have an affinity for [co-creator] Bill Lawrence. I think he’s a great guy. He’s a family guy too. He understands and respects my needs, in terms of where to shoot, how to shoot, what I’m looking for and that my family is my priority. But I do love working. I’m really, really excited to do TV. TV shows are hard, but if you have this much levity, a Carl Hiaasen novel, you can’t take anything too seriously. And it takes me back to Karen [in Mean Girls] and my roots.”
As for hearing her purr like a cat? You’ll have to click on the video above.