Amanda Seyfriedon Masks,Lexapro, andLetting it all Go
I’m at Angelika East for the premiere of Mona Fastvold’s Discipline, a conceptual, dance-centric short commissioned by Miu Miu Women’s Tales. This is the 31st film in a series created to “celebrate femininity and vanity,” and I can’t think of a better subject to toast to. Speaking of toasts, there are trays of champagne, Miu Miu-branded popcorn bags, and a lot of delicious outfits. Our modern day Bessette is here (Sarah Pidgeon), as is Chloë Sevigny, Myha’la Herrold, Hailey Gates, and just about every other New York It girl with a proximity to film and fashion. More importantly, the literal star of the show Amanda Seyfried has just slid up to the step and repeat, and I only have three minutes to interview her.
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TAYLORE SCARABELLI: How are you feeling tonight?
AMANDA SEYFRIED: Good.
SCARABELLI: Good. Have you seen the film yet?
SEYFRIED: No. I don’t even know what it’s about. [Laughs]
SCARABELLI: Is it nerve wracking to watch a film you’re in for the first time in a theater full of people? Or do you love it?
SEYFRIED: It’s neither here nor there. I think it’s more exciting for me tonight because I know the concept, I’ve worked with the dancers and I’m a part of it, but there’s a lot that I’m not privy to.
SCARABELLI: Yeah, it seems—
SEYFRIED: Quick and beautiful. I think anything Mona does is interesting, and—
[Someone passes Amanda a glass of champagne]
SEYFRIED: Oh! [Laughs]
SPEAKER 3: I do as I’m told.
SEYFRIED: Thank you.
SCARABELLI: How was it acting with a mask on? Did it feel freeing?
SEYFRIED: I don’t know how I felt. My only concern was that my eyebrows were all going to be all funky when I took it off. If my eyebrows are out of whack, I look a little bit mad. But it’s dance, it’s movement.
SCARABELLI: Yeah.
SEYFRIED: It’s all about being in rhythm with the dancers, so it was a group effort, which I love.
SCARABELLI: Were you ever a dancer?
SEYFRIED: I wouldn’t call myself that but—
SCARABELLI: You’ve got a little dance in you.
SEYFRIED: I really wanted to dance in high school.
SCARABELLI: Was the puppet thing challenging?
SEYFRIED: No, I didn’t have to work with the puppets at all. I think it would be really difficult. I’ve done Sesame Street. I have puppets at home, it’s a whole other art form. Whatever’s happening in this short film is something I’ve never seen before, something very avant-garde.
SCARABELLI: So what’s the best part of working with a female director versus a male director?
SEYFRIED: I will say there’s an innate nurturing energy that comes through immediately when you need it. When there’s a female energy, there’s a softness and a relatability that I think is completely unspoken, especially with Mona, I think she operates in the world with so much compassion and so much openness and vulnerability. But also just the understanding that she is brave and she’s got a lot to say and she wants to say it. Maybe it’s a Norwegian thing.
SCARABELLI: How does it affect your performance?
SEYFRIED: I just have full trust in her, and then it gives me, in turn, full trust in myself. I mean, I do have to earn my own trust, but it’s a lot easier when the director’s like, “You, you can do this.” You question yourself much less. She just basically says, “Here, take my hand. I’ve got you.” And I’m like, “Okay, I’ve got you, too.”
SCARABELLI: That’s beautiful.
SEYFRIED: It’s very, very simple, actually. I’ve known her for a long time. I met her when we were very young, she hasn’t changed.
SCARABELLI: They’re tapping me. But I want to ask you a couple silly questions.
SEYFRIED: I love silly. Go for it.
SCARABELLI: We can be fast. Would you be a cult leader or a cult follower?
SEYFRIED: A follower, for sure.
SCARABELLI: How long can you go without sex?
SEYFRIED: Very long. Very long. I’m hoping that’ll change, but I’ve been on Lexapro since I was 19. Sex is not number one, number two, number three, number four, number five. You know what I mean?
SCARABELLI: Got it. What’s your go-to karaoke song?
SEYFRIED: “Lose Yourself.”
SCARABELLI: [Laughs] Okay. Do your housekeepers look at you differently now, after seeing The Housemaid?
SEYFRIED: Oh, no, but I dreamt about Wendy last night. She’s been cleaning my house in L.A. for years. She never looks at me differently. I don’t think they do, do they? I hope not. [Laughs]
SCARABELLI: Okay. Last question. What are you doing for Valentine’s Day?
SEYFRIED: I actually hadn’t had a massage in years until I went to London last week. And I was like, “Oh, fuck. I got to get another one before I go to Paris.” All they had was something on Valentine’s Day, and now I feel bad, so I’m going to give it to my mom. And then my husband’s going to take me out for an early dinner so I can put the kids to bed, because I leave the next day.
SCARABELLI: Beautiful.
SEYFRIED: What is Valentine’s Day anyway? No, but I’ve actually been working on Valentine’s Day for my kids’ classes. I did it three, four weeks ago. I’m obsessed with making Valentine’s day origami. I did everything.
SCARABELLI: You’re ready.
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