Amanda Seyfried Reflects on Her Journey Away from Hollywood
Amanda Seyfried has always felt that the Hollywood lifestyle wasn’t quite her scene. In a recent interview featured in the January issue of a fashion magazine, the 40-year-old actress, known for her role in Veronica Mars, opened up about her experiences. She noted, “I didn’t have a lot of famous friends,” highlighting her feeling of disconnect from Hollywood culture.
Unlike many of her contemporaries, Seyfried kept her life relatively private, grappling with “extreme” obsessive-compulsive disorder diagnosed when she was just 19. She recalled, “At the time, I was living in Marina del Rey filming ‘Big Love,’ and my mom had to take time off from her job in Pennsylvania to live with me for a month. I had a brain scan and started taking medication from then on. I still take it every night.”
The challenges of her OCD influenced her lifestyle choices. Seyfried expressed that it made activities like excessive drinking or late nights dangerous for her. “I made the plan and then I didn’t go. I think I made a choice,” she reflected. “I didn’t go into the nightclub realm. I have to say I owe it to my OCD.”
Family remains central to her life. “I’ve always been close to my family,” she shared, emphasizing how her role as a mother has brought her immense joy, especially during filming. “This is a privilege I have at this point in my career. I can say, ‘Listen, I’m going to make this work, but…I have to sleep with the kids Friday night, Saturday and Sunday.’ That’s my only rule. And it gives me energy. It probably helps them, but it definitely helps me.”
Seyfried began her career in commercials at age 10, gaining fame with her role in Mean Girls (2004). Over the years, her portfolio expanded to include projects like Veronica Mars and the musical Mamma Mia. She earned an Academy Award nomination for her role in Mank, and won a Golden Globe as well as an Emmy for her portrayal of Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout.
Despite her achievements, Seyfried opted for a quieter life, moving to a ranch in upstate New York with her husband Thomas Sadosky and their two children, Nina and Thomas. She remarked in an interview that relocating to a farmhouse was one of her best decisions, helping her manage mental health challenges.
“The house was small, so we added a kitchen on top of it. We use the barn as a sanctuary for rescued animals,” she explained. Caring for these animals seems to provide her solace. Seyfried said that although she still experiences anxiety, looking after older animals has allowed her to focus on what truly matters. “My pony, Cliff, is 38 years old, and every day I spend with him is a gift. It keeps me grounded.”
When discussing her move to New York, she described Hollywood as an “unwieldy” place filled with many people making choices that she feels aren’t the safest.
