For actors, the entertainment industry can be a cutthroat business. There are only so many productions and only so many parts, and while hundreds of people may audition for a particular role, only one ultimately gets the job. Because of this competitive atmosphere, it’s not often that one hears stories about stars suggesting alternatives when they get an offer for an intriguing project, but that’s exactly what Amanda Seyfried did when she was first pitched on the lead/titular character in the new musical biopic The Testament Of Ann Lee.
The film premiered earlier this fall at the Venice Film Festival, and Seyfried has earned great acclaim for her performance, but when speaking with CinemaBlend’s Jeff McCobb last week, she explained that it took her a long time to get comfortable with the idea of joining the production. She was asked about the point in reading the script when she knew that Ann Lee was a character that he personally had to play, and she smiled as she explained why she actually had the opposite reaction to the material. Said Seyfried,
Oh, no point in the script; that's what was funny about this process, is that I read the script, and I was like, 'Huh. Huh. I can't see it.' Because, first of all, the characters is so empowered, and I find that in my own personal life, I feel like I'm still looking to be that empowered, and I'm still looking to find ways to be on my front foot and feel comfortable with that – which is why I wanna play these characters who I imagine I'm gonna absorb some of their goodness, right?
In The Testament Of Ann Lee, the Mamma Mia! star plays the founder of the religious sect known as the Shakers, and the film chronicles her journey from England to America proselytizing her beliefs and gaining a following that saw her as a prophet. It’s a complicated role involving religious fervor, singing Shaker hymns and wild choreography, and Seyfried had to be convinced that she was the right personality to bring Ann Lee to the big screen.
Beyond the character, Amanda Seyfried also had trouble simply visualizing the film from the script that she read – written by director Mona Fastvold and Oscar-winner Brady Corbet. She was grateful to be offered the part, but she actually went as far as to suggest other performers who could potentially be a better fit. She continued,
The other point was that in the script, it was just like all like bookmarks of hymns that might be used in this moment, and then they're gonna be moving and dancing. And I couldn't envision any of it. I couldn't hear the hymns and I couldn't envision the dancing because I had so far to go. And that's why I was like, 'I don't know.' And so I was offering Mona some options of who could play Ann Lee after.
As for who she suggested, one name that Amanda Seyfried tossed out was Olivia Cooke – whose credits include shows including House Of The Dragon, Bates Motel and The Girlfriend (which just premiered this fall) and movies like Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One.
So what was it that eventually got her to say yes? While she may not have recognized the vision from the page, she understood the passion for the material possessed by Mona Fastvold, and it was enough to earn trust and go against her gut instinct. Seyfried added,
She has this trust in me that I needed to absorb for myself. And I did. I totally did. But I also just trust her. And as she's a very clear vision as an artist, and she's unrelenting. She completely committed to the journey and to her own voice and to her own clarity and imagination. And it's a beautiful thing – especially in a very nurturing woman. So I just had to kind of let go and be like, 'Alright, I'll follow you up this massive hill, metaphorical hill.'
The hill was climbed, and now, the film is ready for audiences. Co-starring Thomasin McKenzie, Lewis Pullman, Christopher Abbott, and Tim Blake Nelson, The Testament Of Ann Lee is setting a limited release on Christmas Day (qualifying it for consideration in this year’s awards season), and it will expand into wide release next month.
