Amanda Seyfried on Power, Purpose and Playing Complex Women in Two Late-Year Releases
Amanda Seyfried closed out 2025 with two markedly different films arriving within days of each other: the historical musical drama The Testament of Ann Lee and the erotic thriller The Housemaid. While the projects diverge sharply in tone and genre, the actor sees a clear throughline connecting them: stories driven by women’s agency, desire, and resilience.
Speaking at a press conference during the Berlin International Film Festival ahead of a Special Gala screening of The Testament of Ann Lee, Seyfried reflected on what guides her choices at this stage in her career. The conversation touched on artistic fulfillment, motherhood, and the broader cultural moment, with a journalist referencing rising global political tensions and asking how she evaluates the importance of a project “in these times.”
For Seyfried, the calculation is personal as much as professional. She said she considers whether a film is worth time away from her children and whether it offers meaningful artistic growth. In the case of Ann Lee, she cited the clarity of its creative vision and the depth of its storytelling as decisive factors. Rather than approaching the film as a vehicle for overt messaging, she described it as an immersive character study.
Directed and written by Mona Fastvold, The Testament of Ann Lee dramatizes the life of the 18th-century religious leader who founded the Shaker movement. Ann Lee, known for preaching gender equality and communal living, remains a figure of both spiritual devotion and historical debate. The film traces her pursuit of a utopian society, interweaving more than a dozen Shaker hymns reinterpreted for the screen. Seyfried’s portrayal balances spiritual ecstasy with the personal costs of leadership, situating Lee as a visionary shaped by conviction and sacrifice.
The film premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival before arriving in U.S. theaters on Dec. 25 and in the U.K. on Feb. 20. Though it did not secure Academy Award nominations, Seyfried received best actress nominations in the musical or comedy category at the Golden Globes and the Critics’ Choice Awards. Critics responded favorably, with several highlighting the emotional rigor of her performance and its departure from her previous musical roles.
If Ann Lee is contemplative and spiritually charged, The Housemaid occupies a very different register. Directed by Paul Feig and co-starring Sydney Sweeney, the thriller has emerged as a commercial success, drawing audiences with its heightened sensuality and psychological tension. Seyfried described the experience of making the film as creatively liberating in another way.
Despite their tonal contrast, Seyfried sees the films as united in their depiction of women navigating power structures and asserting their needs. Both, she noted, center characters who are propelled by a desire for equality and security. For the actor, that thematic overlap carries weight beyond box office numbers or awards recognition.
She expressed particular satisfaction that the two films reached audiences at the same time, offering different entry points for viewers. One invites contemplation of faith, community, and reform; the other operates within the mechanics of suspense and erotic intrigue. Yet both, she suggested, contribute to a broader shift in who is being addressed by mainstream cinema.
Seyfried argued that audiences, particularly women, are responding when they see themselves reflected in layered, purposeful narratives. She characterized the current moment as one in which films made with women’s experiences at the center are finding tangible support at the theater.
The Berlin press conference also featured Fastvold, composer Daniel Blumberg, and producer Andrew Morrison, underscoring the collaborative nature of The Testament of Ann Lee. As awards season winds down and the global festival circuit continues, Seyfried appears less focused on accolades than on longevity, the kind built through roles that challenge her and resonate with viewers.
