Breakfast is served on Amanda Seyfried's Upstate New York farm, which means feeding the horses, the goats, and Cliff, a 35-year-old pony. "I love it," Seyfried said, "'cause nothing else matters, because they need to get fed. It's a responsibility that, like, keeps me focused on what's important."
I asked, "What is it about this place that makes you feel whatever it is that it makes you feel?"
"I don't know if you know this, but Hollywood is really … it's tricky, and it's got a lot of personalities," Seyfried replied. "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 have always wanted."
Amanda Seyfried on her New York State farm, with Ben Mankiewicz.
CBS News
And she's is not merely putting on a show for the cameras. "Last night it was raining, it was pouring, and I was doing the same ****. I just didn't look this nice!" she said.
This is where Seyfried lives, but she goes where the work is, and there's been plenty of it – as Karen, memorably clueless in "Mean Girls," 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." The film earned Seyfried an Oscar nomination.
She agrees that she wants to be challenged, badly. "Because here's the thing: the challenge is within a certain parameter. 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'd 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."
Her commitment is right there on the screen in two movies out next month: the psychological thriller "The Housemaid," co-starring Sydney Sweeney; and the dramatic musical "The Testament of Ann Lee."
Amanda Seyfried in "The Housemaid" (left), and "The Testament of Ann Lee."
Lionsgate/Searchlight Pictures
In that 18th century story, Seyfried plays Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers, a religious sect that embraced equality and chastity, even inside of marriage.
"Her conviction was everything," Seyfried said of Lee. "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 cast received a long standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, while the role has made Seyfried an Oscar contender.
"It's like, I worked my ass off in this specific experience, and I worked my ass off throughout my career, and I've stayed true to who I am," she said. "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, like, doing the best I can. And I'm nice. And I'm f****** nice!" she laughed. "'Cause there's no other reason not to be."
I can testify, she is … nice! And refreshingly honest. Raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Seyfried studied acting and music as a kid, did some modeling, too. In high school, she was a regular on the soap opera "All My Children." She was on the show for ten months.
Why'd she leave it? "Why did I leave? Why did Megan McTavish write me off? I don't know, ask her!" she laughed.
Getting fired, even at 17, hurt. She figured acting was over, so she enrolled at New York's Fordham University, sort of. "I, like, took the elevator up, and then I stood there, looked at the elevators, and then I took the escalator down, and then I went home. That was my time at Fordham," she laughed.
Immediately after "college," Seyfried landed an audition for "Mean Girls," her first big break. "Mamma Mia!" was her second. It led to a sequel, 2018's "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again" … and maybe a trilogy? Asked if there was going to be a third one, she replied, "Yeah, absolutely."
"Do we know anything about the story?" I asked.
"No, I think if we all decided we'll do it for free, they'll be like, 'Cool. Let's do it tomorrow,'" she replied. "I know Judy Craymer, 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 was '17. So, we'll shoot it in 2027, out in 2028. Every ten years! I just don't know how they get Meryl back."
Well, that is the tricky part, as her character is (spoiler) dead. Evil twin? "There it is!" Seyfried smiled.
Some character traits can stay with Seyfried, like the voice of Elizabeth Holmes, the Theranos founder convicted of fraud in "The Dropout" (2022). The role won Seyfried an Emmy.
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," she said, "and to, like, 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*** 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, as was a guitar. It's one of many instruments Seyfried plays.
She was looking right at her daughter as she sang.
Amanda Seyfried, on guitar, sings for her daughter.
CBS News
Seeing her in own house, this farm upstate, surrounded by family and animals, reveals a grounded movie star living a grounded life.
"It's my world now," she said. "Like, I've been in it for 25 years or whatever. And I, like, 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 – yet! Wait! – and I'm not trying to, you know, hide or, like, run away from any bad press. So it's like, I've made it easy for myself. So far!"
WEVB EXCLUSIVE: Watch an extended interview with Amanda Seyfried (Video)
To watch a trailer for "The Testament of Ann Lee," click on the video player below:
THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE | Official Teaser | Searchlight Pictures by SearchlightPictures on YouTube
To watch a trailer for "The Housemaid" click on the trailer below:
The Housemaid (2025) Official Trailer – Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar by Lionsgate Movies on YouTube
For more info:
- "The Housemaid" (Lionsgate) opens in theaters December 19
- "The Testament of Ann Lee" (Searchlight Pictures) opens in theaters December 25
Story produced by Gabriel Falcon. Editor: Ed Givnish.
