When the Golden Globe nominations were announced in early December, Amanda Seyfried’s name appeared in two different categories: best actress in a limited series for Long Bright River and best actress in a musical or comedy for The Testament of Ann Lee, released on Christmas.
She also starred in a second movie released in December — the psychological thriller The Housemaid with Sydney Sweeney.
Obviously, Seyfried has had a busy 2025, promoting two films at the same time.
“I came home finally from a red eye, and I slept for, I want to say, like, 30 hours,” she told Morning Edition host Leila Fadel. “I clearly needed it. And now my back hurts. I’m 40, so that’s okay.”
Her starring role in The Testament of Ann Lee might have contributed to the back pain. Lee was an early leader of the religious sect known as the Shakers, which she brought from England to the colonies of America during the Revolutionary War. They got the name from their ecstatic worship — lots of singing, energetic dancing and flailing movement.
Seyfried said she trained for a year, on and off, to get the choreography right and prepare her body for the physicality of the role.
“Anybody who’s been to a club knows what it feels like to be alive through movement,” Seyfried said. “I think that’s why the community really thrived, because they were connecting to each other as much as through their higher power.”
Ann Lee’s philosophy involved pacifism, gender and racial equality, and celibacy — even for married couples. These ideals were a tough sell during the American Revolution. Seyfried says Lee was received as a witch.
“She didn’t make sense to people, and she never tried to fit in,” Seyfried said.
Fighters on each side of independence expected the Shakers to join their cause, but Ann Lee refused. Seyfried admired her stand.
“What happens when you feel that it’s harmful to take a side?” she asked. “What happens when you just want to keep creating sanctuary for people? Why do you have to pick a side? She challenged that.”
Amanda Seyfried thinks that The Testament of Ann Lee — even though it’s the story of a religious movement from the 18th century — is still timely and important.
“Weird rules or not, it was based in love and support and belonging and lifting everybody up,” she said. “It’s just so simple an idea, and it’s how so many of us want to operate in the world.”
The Golden Globes will be awarded on Jan. 11.
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