- - Amanda Seyfried found church 'boring.' Now she's playing the female Christ.

Patrick Ryan, USA TODAYJanuary 17, 2026 at 3:38 AM

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It's awards season and Amanda Seyfried has one thing on her mind.

"I'm anxiously awaiting tacos," says the "Mamma Mia!" star, who is holed up in a Los Angeles hotel room doing interviews for her delightful double bill of "The Housemaid" (in theaters now) and "The Testament of Ann Lee" (in select theaters now, nationwide Jan. 23).

The Emmy winner has been on a nonstop run of red carpets and awards shows, having earned best actress nominations from both the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards for "Ann Lee," a singularly hypnotic movie musical about the birth of the Shaker movement in the 1700s.

The film traces the life of Lee, who after losing four children in infancy, became celibate and created a religious movement based in music and days-long dance rituals. She was regarded as the female Christ by her followers, but accused of witchcraft by outsiders.

Amanda Seyfried is back in awards contention for "The Testament of Ann Lee" this season.

Seyfried's head-spinning schedule promoting the movie couldn't be more different than 2020, when she navigated awards season almost entirely by Zoom during the pandemic, picking up a best supporting actress nomination for "Mank."

"There were all these events that seemed like big moments with your peers that I missed out on," recalls Seyfried, 40, who lives on a farm in upstate New York with her husband and two kids. "But other than that, I was so happy to be able to walk back to my barn and feed my baby. Being home couldn’t have been better for me at that point in my life, because my son was only a couple months old."

Amanda Seyfried, left, navigated a mostly virtual Oscar season leading up to the socially distanced ceremony in 2021.

Even now, she says, "I’m dying to get home; I really miss my kids and animals. But being able to celebrate with ('Ann Lee' director Mona Fastvold) is really nice. Spiritually, I’m exhausted, but I don’t think I’ve ever cared as much about anything I’ve done."

Seyfried reflects on "Ann Lee," religion and more.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Question: What was your way into Ann Lee as a character? How did you come to understand her?

Amanda Seyfried: She’s so easy to relate to. She operated without judgment and gave space to people around her to be themselves. Also, she had come to the other side of her grief in such a way where she opened up to the light, and I’m so in awe of that. Having not gone through the traumas that she did, I can still relate to the desire to commune with my neighbors and to have a higher purpose.

Amanda Seyfried loses herself in song and dance as Shaker founder Ann Lee.

What did you learn about yourself through playing her?

My body learned a whole new way of moving; I almost walk differently now. There are a lot of things that have shifted in me. It was so important how she moved, because every thrust of the hand or hip or neck has a story behind it. I just wanted to keep going. We'd all get tired, but why do we dance anyway as human beings? Why do we go to the club or dance at a wedding? Because we feel alive and closer to ourselves.

How would you describe your relationship with religion growing up?

Amanda Seyfried attends a New York screening of "Mean Girls," her film debut, in 2004.

I did not see the value in going to church every Sunday. The sermons were quite boring, but it was fun for me in that it was time spent with my grandparents and there were doughnuts afterward. And then when I got to LA, I started suffering from incredible OCD and panic (attacks). Instead of going to the doctor or getting a psychiatrist, I started going to church with my boyfriend, who was incredibly religious. I was singing with a chorus, which is always life-affirming for me. I could cry with acceptance and love and warmth, and in a way, I found a home.

It was very short-lived because the relationship ended, but it was amazing for the time being. If anything, I’m more toward Buddhism. Mother Nature is my higher power. When I look up at the trees, it’s a sanctuary for me. Without harm done, religion is a beautiful thing.

The hottest names in Hollywood hit the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 11 in Beverly Hills, California. These were the night's most lavish looks, starting with Kate Hudson.

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Glen Powell

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Brittany Snow

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1 / 182Kate Hudson, Leonardo DiCaprio, more stun at Golden Globes red carpet

The hottest names in Hollywood hit the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 11 in Beverly Hills, California. These were the night's most lavish looks, starting with Kate Hudson.

Do you see any modern analogues to Ann Lee in today’s society? Politicians, leaders or activists who have that same kind of charisma that inspires devotion?

You can’t be a president without having to make difficult decisions. Maybe it was just my age, or maybe I was blind, but with Obama, it felt like the country was pretty unified. We had somebody with a lot of f------ backbone and compassion. He was just a very decent person. Most of us are capable of being decent, but fear gets in the way.

Oprah was also nothing but positivity and inclusion, and she used her power for good as far as I understand. I really thought Kamala was going to − I mean, it’s hard. Politicians have a tricky job to do. But when I’m really thinking about politics, it’s so depressing. You can feel so powerless, but every little thing counts.

Even Greta Thunberg: She’s trying to hold the Earth together and she's not doing it alone, but she had the bravery to stand up as a child and say, “This is not OK.”

Temperamental housewife Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried) is more than she appears in twisty thriller "The Housemaid."

Between “Ann Lee” and “The Housemaid,” how does it feel for you to have these two wildly different performances out in theaters at the same time?

I couldn’t be prouder of the fact that I got to show incredible range. It’s such a nice thing to feel. I’m so excited for every single person to see “Ann Lee” for the beauty and art and profound storytelling that’s happening. And with “The Housemaid,” to give people that thrill ride of shock and surprise and giggling – it’s my favorite type of movie. I’m a very happy, happy artist.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Amanda Seyfried gets candid about religion, politics and 'Ann Lee'

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