July 1008 By Philip Berk
By Philip Berk
On screen she’s pure magic.
The searing intensity and pristine innocence that made her compulsive viewing as the headstrong daughter in Big Love is once again on display in Mamma Mia, where she steals the movie from seasoned veterans like Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.
But off screen, in person, Amanda Seyfried is something else!
Wide-eyed, take charge, hyper active, you wonder if she’s forgotten to take her meds.
Could she be bipolar?
At her press conference, held in Athens, Greece, she’s positively irrepressible.
Aware that Tom Hanks is the hands-off producer of both Big Love and Mamma Mia, I ask her if it was Tom that got her the role.
“No, she corrects me. if anyone it was Tom’s partner, Gary Goetzman (who shares producer credit with Tom and his wife Rita Wilson).
“When I found out that they were producing the movie, I had already met and connected with the director and the vocal couch, and it was months later, when I was like, ‘What’s happening?’ I approached Gary on the set (of Big Love) and I asked him, ‘What’s happening with Mamma Mia? I know I‘m a candidate, but when will we know for sure? When am I going to be able to sing because you know I can sing?” and he was, ‘Oh, you can sing? That’s great.” And I told him, ‘Just keep me in mind, Don’t forget that I’m here.’ And he was like, ‘I got it baby, it’s fine.’ And then when I found out that Meryl had signed on for Donna, I thought, ‘This is my chance. This is perfect. I can physically play her daughter.’ I was just head over heels in love (with the idea) and it gave me a lot of anxiety. I was like, ‘If I don’t get this, I will be very sad.” So I didn’t really get it through that one conversation with Gary. A lot of girls think, ‘Oh, she got it because she’s in Big Love,’ but Phyllida (Lloyd the director) was looking for freshness, something genuine, and Benny (Andersen, the composer) was looking for a voice that made his music come alive in a different way. And he found that. Gary knew my professionalism on the set. So I’d have to say that a lot of people had faith in me, the same way my family were trustworthy of my abilities.”
(If only she allowed her talent to speak for itself!)
Playing one daughter with three possible fathers and another with three legal mothers, how do you define a family?
“For me it doesn’t necessarily mean a mother, a father, and a child. It has to be created out of love, and if two people love each other, that bond is strong enough. There should be no boundaries of what a family is. And you don’t need to be related to someone either. I built a family in London for myself, and I got to know a man who is just like a father to me. So I kind of feel I have two dads. I met him just last year, and I feel he knows me to the core of my soul. It’s amazing when you have a connection with somebody.”
Growing up, were you a fan of Abba songs?
“No, because I was only born in 1985. I was familiar with Dancing Queen because it was played at school dances, but it was only a year ago when I saw the musical that I completely fell in love with it. I sang their songs on tape, and they sent it to Benny and Bjorn, (the composers.) and luckily “ (here she goes again) “they appreciated my interpretation of the songs, my versions of their creations made years and years ago. It was good for them to have these songs performed by someone who hadn’t been around when they were so massive. It kind of made them feel good. And I can’t believe it when they tell me these things. It’s like the most flattering thing in the world.”
Stop already!
With the strong word of mouth and seeing her face plastered on billboards all over the world, what does her Big Love family think of her success?
“They’re so supportive. Jeanne Trippelhorn and Bill Paxton” (who play her parents) “are like family. When I got the role, Bill picked me up and hugged me and twirled me around. He looked into my eyes, and he was like, ‘This is yours baby. You deserve this more than anybody.’ And that was amazing. And seeing my face on the poster, it’s not even real to me. This is a dream come true, I can’t believe it happened to me. I feel like it raises me to another level.”
Tell us about your upbringing?
“I grew up in a very normal middle-class suburban household with two parents who are still completely in love, a big sister who treated me like crap and now absolutely loves me. And I feel the same way about her. My father dealt with some tough times when he was younger. I had four grandparents until two years ago. But it was really great. I was happy, outgoing. My mother is super strong willed and very intelligent; my father, really funny and neurotic. And those four qualities combined to make m a mixture of things good and bad, although for a long time I didn’t realize how lucky I was!”
Can you see yourself, like your parents, being married for 25 years?
“It scares me because I have seen a lot of examples not working. I’ve been in two relationships, and they’ve not worked out at all. Each experience taught me a lot, but I’m not sure if marriage is necessarily for me. Two and a half years ago when I was twenty, I wanted to get married to my boyfriend. Now I’m so glad I didn’t.”
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
“Right now I live in Los Angeles, where Big Love is shot, but I very much want to move back to New York. In L.A. I have a lot free time. So what do I do? I go hiking. I like to be alone. I’m very happy when I’m just alone and don’t have anybody around. I like to read. I like to sing. I have dinner every Sunday evening with my best friend and her friends. She’s also my agent” (sitting quietly in the back of the room.) I took French lessons for ten months with Berlitz. The coolest thing I could do right now is travel. So you’d find me in New York or London.”
Where do you see yourself in twenty years?
“What I’d like to be doing is what Meryl is doing. I’ve seen her life. I’ve seen her in more of a personal world, and she’s got it exactly right. I’m sure she’s gone through hard times. She’s a woman who knows who she is. She’s sexy. She’s brilliant. She’s still happy acting which for me is the most fulfilling thing. She’s got a family who’s the most important thing to her. And she knows when it’s time to go home. I can’t promise I won’t be a train wreck in five years, but I can assure you I’m going to keep remembering what I observed in Meryl.”
When you were only twelve you did some modeling. How did your parents feel about that?
“My mom trusted me; we lived only two hours away from the agency so it was pretty easy for her to take me. But she didn’t take it seriously. She supported it as long as I kept my grades up. Later when I started acting it was my dad who encouraged me because it was something he always wanted to do. I kept changing my mind, one time I wanted to be a meteorologist, then I wanted to be a singer. My mother remained neutral. Now she’s glad she didn’t get in the way.”
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