{"id":65009,"date":"2022-09-23T20:43:12","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T20:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=65009"},"modified":"2022-12-07T17:03:51","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T17:03:51","slug":"amanda-seyfried-interview","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/amanda-seyfried-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"Amanda Seyfried on the Choices That Changed Her Life and Set Her Up for Her First Emmy Win"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Amanda Seyfried Photographed by NICO BUSTOS FOR LANC\u00d4ME<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is one little word that has long represented a challenge for the actress Amanda Seyfried<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ve finally become good at saying \u2018No,\u2019 she says. \u201cBy nature, I tend to be flexible. But with time, I\u2019ve come to understand what makes me uncomfortable and I\u2019ve learned how to make others respect my decisions \u2014 even though saying no to my kids is really tough.\u201d Fortunately, her children, Nina, 5, and Thomas, who turned 2 on Sept. 28, give her less of a hard time than she gave her mother when, at 11 years old, she was already trending sets and shooting her first commercials. \u201cAs a child, I was undisciplined, impatient and noisy,\u201d she admits.<\/p>\n

With her husband, the 46-year-old actor Thomas Sadoski, who she married in an ultra- private ceremony in 2017 only days after their daughter Nina\u2019s birth, Seyfried, 36, has settled on a farm in Upstate New York. After a Best Supporting Oscar nomination for her role as Hollywood starlet Marion Davies in the 2020 film Mank<\/em>, she took the decision to cut back on the pace of her commitments. \u201cUp until a few years ago I was working so much, and I was worried that if I gave myself a break, I wouldn\u2019t be able to get back into it,\u201d she shares. \u201cBut now I have a husband who, like me, loves his work and two children that need somebody to be with them. Because of this I only accept roles that I consider impossible to miss out on.\u201d<\/p>\n

In keeping with her new set of priorities, Seyfried is continuing in her role as a Lanc\u00f4me global ambassador and selectively choosing new projects, like her latest two, which are different from each other but each equally special.<\/p>\n

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Amanda Seyfried Photographed by NICO BUSTOS FOR LANC\u00d4ME<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first is the Hulu series The Dropout<\/em><\/a>: the true story of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes<\/a>, who was convicted of defrauding investors in connection with her blood-testing startup. \u201cIt was the biggest challenge of my career,\u201d Seyfried says of her Emmy-nominated<\/a> performance.<\/p>\n

The second project is a movie that came out last year, Mouthful of Air<\/em>, in which the actress plays a children\u2019s book writer dealing with trauma that resurfaces after the birth of her daughter. \u201cThe screenwriter and director, Amy Koppelman, is a friend,\u201d Seyfried says. \u201cMore or less, we have all experienced postpartum depression. It\u2019s a topic that women absolutely must talk about to help each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did becoming a mother change you a lot?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIt led me to let things go, to accept that certain things are how they are. And to take care of myself, because otherwise I couldn\u2019t protect my children. Plus, having children turned me into sort of a superwoman: it\u2019s amazing what your body is capable of doing. My mother filmed the births of my two kids, and I recently rewatched my son Thomas\u2019 delivery. I thought, \u2018Wow, I\u2019m incredible! It\u2019s enough to give you a new sense of security, to cancel out all the years of not being satisfied with your appearance. Why would we want to be different?\u201d<\/p>\n

Did that happen with you?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI remember an audition when I was still working as a model. I would have been 15 years old, and I liked to eat and I still had a little bit of roundness typical in children that age. There was a girl at the audition with an incredibly flat stomach. The first thing I thought was: \u2018Why am I not like her? How can I be like that?\u2019 The anxiety that arouses isn\u2019t good for us. I wonder if it\u2019s a phase we have to go through in order to accept ourselves? But after seeing the physical changes resulting from pregnancy and motherhood, I understand that you can\u2019t waste your time on stuff like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Amanda Seyfried Photographed by NICO BUSTOS FOR LANC\u00d4ME<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So your relationship with the mirror has improved?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cAs time passes, I feel more and more comfortable and at ease with myself. Also, my body has done so many beautiful things for me and it\u2019s gotten me to this point. At 36 years old, I feel much better than I did when I was 22.\u201d<\/p>\n

The passing years don\u2019t worry you?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI hate to have to admit it, but anti-aging is a term that is now playing a part in my life. I\u2019ve never done Botox, but I\u2019m careful when it comes to sun exposure, and every night before going to bed, I apply an anti-wrinkle mask. But at my age, beauty is no longer just about what\u2019s on the outside. I feel beautiful if my mind is free, if I can get rid of negative thoughts and I have a clear idea about what I want and who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

What makes you happiest?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cKnowing how to accept myself for who I am and paying attention to the little things in life. It\u2019s always possible to be satisfied with what you have and optimistic about the future. Most of us don\u2019t pay attention to these moments of happiness because our heads are elsewhere. It\u2019s enough to just stop and take a look around ourselves. Watching my children play together: this, for me, is happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is that the reason why you decided to live on a farm?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019ve always known what makes me feel well and I\u2019ve always loved to be in the middle of nature. What\u2019s changed is that today I appreciate it more. And I try to share my happiness with others.\u201d<\/p>\n

How?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cOn Valentine\u2019s Day I send little presents to friends, especially those who have just become parents. This year I made some paper heart decorations. Other times I\u2019ve baked cookies and sweets.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Photographed by NICO BUSTOS FOR LANC\u00d4ME<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Is there a place that you feel at peace with yourself?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to think about somewhere that isn\u2019t our farm, but nothing comes to mind. One of my most beautiful memories is a day I spent with my daughter the summer before the pandemic. We were sitting outside by the pool, surrounded by the sunflowers we had planted and that had grown really tall. I felt something close to spiritual peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you practice meditation?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery morning, after I\u2019ve washed my face, the first thing that I do is a walk around the farm. My meditation is to feed the animals on the farm and to be among them. It has a calming effect. And, every so often, I take the opportunity to do some physical exercise. This morning, after breakfast, I jumped rope while waiting for our oldest horse to finish eating his hay.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the past, you\u2019ve spoken openly about your battle to achieve mental wellness. How did you do it?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cBy speaking about my problems. Every time I see someone having problems, I say: \u2018Try to confide in someone.\u2019 Perhaps on the first try you won\u2019t find someone able to help you, but there\u2019s always someone who, sooner or later, will offer you a different point of view and will completely change your way of thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is this how you were able to get better?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always sought help when I wasn\u2019t doing well. I know very well what it\u2019s like to suffer from OCD. I take medication and I do therapy every week. I also listen to a lot of audiobooks. I believe talking and listening are the two cornerstones of mental wellbeing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are there any authors who you look up to?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI read a lot of books by feminists and psychotherapists. I really trust the viewpoints of other women. I also love the poet Mary Oliver for her ability to express life\u2019s most beautiful moments in an eloquent way that\u2019s simple at the same time. You just have to read a few pages of any of her books to completely change your day. I turn everything that she\u2019s written into advice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you have a piece of advice that you would give to your 20-year-old self?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSimply: \u2018Take a breath.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

And to your daughter?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe same: \u2018Breathe. You\u2019ll see that everything passes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Whose style do you look up to?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI really admire Zendaya. She\u2019s a good example for girls. Whether she\u2019s dressed elegantly or sporty, wearing makeup or none at all, she is always beautiful. But it\u2019s my overall impression that she\u2019s always true to herself. And I\u2019m crazy about Cate Blanchett. She knows how to be elegant and \u2018regal\u2019 but also original. She maintains an aura of mystery that allows her to live in a way unlike anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uniqueness is a good trait to have?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe should choose what we like without fear of making mistakes. Not basing choices on what we see on Instagram is a way of trusting ourselves. I find it alarming that on social media everybody has their eyebrows done in the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n

When you were younger, did you ever feel intimidated by finding yourself face to face with one of your idols?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt happened to me a billion times. Mostly with actresses that were a part of my childhood: it\u2019s weird to find yourself in front of a person that growing up you watched in movies or on television. While at the preview of Mamma Mia! I was speechless when I met Jane Seymour. I told her, \u2018You\u2019re Dr. Mike from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman<\/em>!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Read GRAZIA USA\u2019s Fall issue featuring cover star Nicola Peltz Beckham:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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