Amanda Seyfried has declared socialism “a gorgeous idea” that promotes “taking care of each other” more in society.
“If I have more money, I can spend more money on other people. Isn’t that right?” the Mamma Mia! star said on Variety’s Award Circuit podcast when asked what the economic and political system means to her.
The 40-year-old appeared on the show to promote her latest musical project, The Testament of Ann Lee, which follows the Shakers founder. Officially called the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, the 18th-century religious group believed in communal living.
“Thank God we’re talking about Ann Lee so much, because there’s a direct relationship to what she created and what we’re lacking,” Seyfried said of the religious leader and her teachings.
“How about we all don’t have any kind of agendas? How about our agenda is take care of each other? Socialism is a gorgeous idea, and I know it doesn’t work perfectly,” she concluded.
When Schneider pointed to the days following the 11 September attacks as an example of when Americans cared for each other selflessly, Seyfried said it shouldn’t take a national tragedy to create unity in the US.
“We shouldn’t have to have a meteor or a house-on-fire situation in order to drop everything for each other. That’s just what we are as human beings,” she said.
Seyfried’s remarks come after the actor stood by dubbing right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk a “hateful” man shortly after he was shot dead on the campus of Utah Valley University in September while taking part in an outdoor debating session.
“I’m not f***ing apologising for that. I mean, for f***’s sake, I commented on one thing. I said something that was based on actual reality and actual footage and actual quotes. What I said was pretty damn factual, and I’m free to have an opinion, of course,” she told Who What Wear.
Seyfried received backlash for what she said as well as criticism which said she was justifying the married father of two’s killing, after which she took to her own Instagram to clarify her comment, writing: “We’re forgetting the nuance of humanity.”
Brady Corbet’s The Testament of Ann Lee follows the Mancunian preacher played by Seyfried as she travels to America to build a new type of church. Lee believed herself to be the female incarnation of Christ on Earth and taught that God had both male and female aspects.
Lee died in New York in 1784 and is remembered for promoting gender equality and communal values that were ahead of her time.
The Testament of Ann Lee is set to be released in UK cinemas on 20 February 2026.
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