The screen star speaks her mind about varied femininities, style, expression, and identity
Since Pennsylvania native Amanda Seyfried landed her first contract acting role as Lucy Montgomery in As the World Turns (2000) and had her breakthrough performance as Karen Smith in Mean Girls (2004), she has given a range of noteworthy performances.
Her 20-year career has seen her play a bride-to-be searching for her father (Mamma Mia!, 2008), an escort (Chloe, 2009), a young woman in love (Dear John, 2010), and the world’s first adult film star, abused by the industry and her coercive husband (Lovelace, 2013), among many others. Seyfried received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for her portrayal of Marion Davies, a Broadway actress and mistress to newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, in the critically acclaimed Mank. She now stars as Julie, who struggles with post-partum depression, in A Mouthful of Air, and as Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the medical testing startup Theranos, in the mini-series The Dropout.
Behind the glitz and glam, Seyfried says she’s just a farm girl, who prefers a natural look without makeup (as demonstrated in our Zoom interview). But she will apply eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick (nothing on her skin, which can appear almost translucent) when she goes to the theatre because “it does enhance your features” and “it’s really fun to gloss yourself up”.
Amanda Seyfried. Image: Supplied
At home on her farm in upstate New York, which she shares with husband Thomas Sadoski and their two children, her peonies are her pride and joy. “This time on the farm is really special,” she says. Among her various roles, I wonder which ones have brought out her feminine best. “I think of Elizabeth Holmes, even though she, from my perspective, has a complicated relationship with her femininity. She definitely used it when she needed to and tried to hide it when she felt she needed to, which is not the way I live my life. But I understood where she was coming from. And that contrast in playing her, and then coming home to myself, I think that actually is the role.”
At home on her farm in upstate New York, which she shares with husband Thomas Sadoski and their two children, her peonies are her pride and joy. “This time on the farm is really special,” she says. Among her various roles, I wonder which ones have brought out her feminine best. “I think of Elizabeth Holmes, even though she, from my perspective, has a complicated relationship with her femininity. She definitely used it when she needed to and tried to hide it when she felt she needed to, which is not the way I live my life. But I understood where she was coming from. And that contrast in playing her, and then coming home to myself, I think that actually is the role.”
She adds: “Of course, playing Marion Davies and wearing those meant-to-look-old costume dresses and costume jewellery and the time spent on the makeup and that elegance… I don’t know if she was the most feminine. I think she was more respectful and appreciative of, and intimate with, her body than you would think by looking at her. She wears a majorette costume at the end of a scene with a marching band, which felt more feminine than anything — she was wearing pants because that was empowering! That was what women did. They wore pants. We forget that.”
On femininity, Seyfried says, “Being feminine is really owning your body and appreciating it. It’s the sexiest thing in the world. It’s just being intimate with yourself in every way. Femininity isn’t about any dress or specific makeup look. Femininity to me is about doing what you want with it, wearing what you want and not letting it wear you… I mean, I’m a mom, so I’ve seen my body do all sorts of things. And I can do anything I want with it, I don’t care. Wear wide pants and a tight top, or a suit. It doesn’t matter. It can make me feel uber-feminine because of the way I walk and the way it makes me feel when I’m wearing it. The short answer is, I like my body. I like myself.”
Amanda Seyfried as Marion Davies in Mank. Image: Supplied
Interestingly, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Friend of the Brand wears what is “a masculine watch in theory [the Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra Thin]. Whatever makes me feel empowered makes me feel feminine and makes me feel beautiful. The Master is a daytime watch for me, and I wear it for a night-time event with a really bad-ass outfit, like an Oscar de la Renta. It’s powerful and sexy. I also wear the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso, which has a secret etching of my dog on the case back. A watch is jewellery to me… so I love having the watch face, the look, and the time. I just love the way it’s made. Each piece has its own meaning and its own special use.”
As for the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous, “It is something to behold. I’m a farm girl, right? You look at that watch when it’s not on you and you think, ‘I hope it doesn’t wear me.’ But I f****ng wore that watch. I think the sexiest, best time to wear it is with jeans and a T-shirt and big chunky diamond earrings. It’s, like, a casual look and an incredibly not-casual arm.
Amanda Seyfried wearing the Jaeger-LeCoultre Rendez-Vous watch.
Image: Supplied
She adds: “The Rendez-Vous is the least connected to where I am in my daily life — that, I think, is the unpredictable element that makes it so much fun to wear. It’s incredibly special, and that’s what makes it work.”
As published by Wanted on 29 August 2022.