Amanda Seyfried seems like she was always destined to be an actress.
She's a natural on camera, and she's shown off her versatility in a variety of genres.
But her story doesn't exactly begin in Hollywood.
Seyfried hasn't forgotten her humble roots. She was born on December 3, 1985 in Allentown,
a small city in southeastern Pennsylvania. Her non-flashy roots have inspired her to
curate a similar lifestyle for herself in adulthood. When chatting with Vogue in 2015,
she revealed that Allentown is the ideal place for her to live, as she explained,
"I want to have kids. And I want them to go to local schools,
and there are some really good schools around here. I would like my life to be
the same as it is now, but with a little less stress and a little less work."
Seyfried comes from a traditional family whose jobs are about the farthest thing from glitz and
glamour. Her father Jack is a pharmacist, while her mother Ann is an occupational therapist.
While Seyfried didn't follow in her parents' white collar path,
she remains a down-to-earth family gal at heart. She also has an older sister named Jennifer,
who also has a creative side, having played in a rock band named Love City.
It's no secret that the cameras love Amanda Seyfried, but her drop-dead-gorgeous looks almost
landed her in an entirely different career. It's true, she started out in the modeling sector of
the entertainment industry, and you can see her in a number of campaigns from the early 2000s.
Seyfried's gigs included work for the popular kids clothing line Limited Too when she was
still a youngster herself. She wasn't the only future star who got her start there,
as she modeled alongside future Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester. Seyfried also posed
for the covers of the Victoria Martin young adult book trilogy written by Francine Pascal,
who's probably best known as the creator of Sweet Valley High. Little did Seyfried know at the time
that she'd go on to pose for the covers of some of the most popular magazines in the world!
One thing's for sure: she's worked hard to get where she is today.
Seyfried is one smart cookie, but she apparently almost didn't graduate high
school because she was so overwhelmed with her acting work. Her dedication
towards her craft caused her to miss a lot of classes at Allentown's William Allen High,
but that's okay because she was doubling down on her performance work. She spent much of her
teen years improving her vocal chops, and she even trained with a Broadway coach.
Seyfried's hard work paid off, and she began taking on professional acting gigs throughout
those pivotal four years. Despite poor attendance her senior year, she managed to graduate in 2003,
and then she was well on her way towards superstardom. She also eventually took
a stab at the higher education route, but her college career was rather short-lived.
She enrolled at Fordham University but ended up dropping out in order to sign on for Mean Girls.
She was about to attend her first class when she was called in for a screen test for the movie.
After the test, she made her way to campus but ultimately decided to skip class altogether.
And then she never returned. Clearly, the bold decision worked out well for her,
and looking back, she wouldn't change a thing. As she told the Boston Herald in 2020,
"I think you have to be really careful and really be deliberate about your choices when
you want longevity. The priority for me was always that I just wanted to be working."
Unless you're born into a famous family, working in Hollywood requires paying your dues,
and Amanda Seyfried certainly paid hers. In her earliest acting days,
long before she earned legions of fans in the likes of Mean Girls and Letters To Juliet,
she took a stab at serialized TV by acting in soap operas.
Indeed, she spent her teenage years commuting to New York City to shoot some of the most well-known
soaps of the decade. From 2000 to 2001, she brought the drama to As the World Turns while
portraying Lucy Montgomery. And from 2002 to 2003, she played the part of Joni Stafford
on All My Children. While some would-be stars have a tough go at making it to the big time,
Seyfried eventually made the transition from soaps to blockbuster films look like no big deal.
The world fell in love with the high school comedy Mean Girls in 2004,
and it was a particularly special year, because it marked the first time that people got to meet
Amanda Seyfried on the big screen. It wasn't just her big-screen debut, it was also her big break,
and it put her on the map in a big way, as she starred alongside the likes of such notables
names as Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Tina Fey. Even today, she's shell-shocked by the film's
massive success and is eternally grateful for it. As she told IndieWire in January 2013,
"I was so innocent. I was so green. I look back and I'm like, 'Really,
I thought I was doing a terrible job.'"
Of course, she wasn't doing a terrible job. Fans fell in love with her quirky performance
as Karen Smith, and she got a laugh out of the role herself. As she told Indiewire,
"It was written so well and so wonderfully directed. [Director]
Mark Waters made me look good; he made me funny.
And Tina Fey wrote the coolest script of all time. I'm so grateful for every experience."
"So if you're from Africa, why are you white?"
"Oh my God, Karen, you can't just ask people why they're white."
Celebrities live a different life than the non-famous, but some, like Amanda Seyfried,
are transparent about their personal trials and tribulations. While she's had her struggles,
the stigma of mental health isn't holding her back in the least.
She got candid about her battle with mental health in a 2016 interview with Allure. As she put it,
"A mental illness is a thing that people cast in a different category [from other illnesses],
but I don't think it is. It should be taken as seriously as anything else.
You don't see the mental illness: It's not a mass; it's not a cyst. But it's there."
Seyfried also admitted to facing anxiety issues that stemmed from
obsessive-compulsive disorder, but she's learned how to maintain her
mental health better as she's gotten older. As she explained,
"Knowing that a lot of my fears are not reality-based really helps."
Taking medication for mental illnesses may be a taboo subject,
but it's one that Seyfried doesn't mind broaching. As she admitted to Allure in 2016,
"I'm on Lexapro, and I'll never get off of it. I've been on it since I was 19, so 11 years."
If you need proof that Amanda Seyfried is one of the most endearing celebrities around,
just consider her collection of farm animals. Yes, it's true,
the actress lives on a full-fledged farm property complete with goats, pigs, and more!
"So why'd you want to live on a farm?"
"Because I like animals, and I like to be surrounded by them, and I wanted space, and I,
I love, like the countryside, and the forest."
She talked about her animal-filled abode with Allure in 2016,
and it sure sounds like one eventful household. As she revealed,
"We have a whole new design for the property. We're going to get a goat and a pig;
they're going to grow up together, so there shouldn't be trouble.
This past week, we rescued two cats. A lot of goats just need homes."
She also dished about her poultry as she noted,
"We have four chickens and a rooster. Now here’s a f---ing weird thing. They
stopped laying. They didn’t lay for a good six months."
In November 2020, Seyfried shared a video on Instagram that showed off
her barn full of goats to the tune of Missy Elliott's "The Rain (Supa Dupa
Fly)." And she's also shared plenty of horse photos.
Despite her A-list status, Seyfried prefers to keep her private life tucked away behind
the scenes. That's why when she got married to fellow actor Thomas Sadoski in March 2017,
they did so in total secrecy.
"You guys are close friends, and she would want you to know, so just like,
you know, keep it quiet, don't tell anybody."
But thankfully for Seyfried's fans who wanted to hear what happened,
she eventually spilled a few details. The ceremony took place in Topanga, California,
and it didn't include a reception. Instead, the bride and groom shared a romantic brunch
at café Cheebo in Los Angeles. Seyfried wore a dress that she bought herself at Free People.
While the ceremony wasn't particularly fancy, the actress has had plenty of opportunities to
experience all that in her professional life. As she explained to Net-a-Porter,
"I didn't have a wedding reception. I get married all the time. I was in
a wedding dress last week! I don't care about that stuff."
Seyfried may not have had the fantasy wedding that a lot of celebs opt for,
but clearly, that was just fine with her.
Seyfried was pregnant during her wedding and soon after the ceremony,
she gave birth to her daughter on March 24, 2017. Three years later, in September 2020,
she welcomed her second child and first son. This time around, she was more open with fans about the
birth, and it also drove her to activism in support of other children around the world.
She and Sadoski shared the news via the Instagram of the International Network for Aid,
Relief and Assistance, for which they serve as board members. As they put it,
"Since the birth of our daughter 3 years ago our commitment to the innocent children that
are so brutally affected by conflict and war has been a driving force in our lives.
With the birth of our son the work of INARA and War Child has become our North Star."
Seyfried has supported a number of different charities through the years, and it's become
an integral part of her life. In 2018, she and her husband became ambassadors of War Child USA,
and it's not an exaggeration to say that they're Hollywood's ultimate philanthropic couple.
They've teamed up to host fundraising events in the Los Angeles area,
but their impact isn't just local, as their efforts have reached nations across the globe.
Seyfried's philanthropic reach doesn't end there. In December 2020, she celebrated her 35th birthday
by doing what she does best: donating to charity. She urged her 4.8 million Instagram followers
to help her support the INARA, which provides medical care for children from conflict areas.
Another one of Seyfried's biggest passion projects is her work with Best Friends Animal Society,
an organization that encourages pet owners to adopt from a shelter
rather than buying from a breeder. In a statement for the site, she noted,
"When you adopt, you not only save a life, but you end up with an amazing friend.
Please adopt your next pet from a shelter or a rescue group."
She also took her own advice by adopting an adorable dog named Finn,
who makes frequent appearances on her Instagram.
Some celebrities live in the Hollywood Hills, while others flock to Malibu.
But when it comes to Amanda Seyfried, she feels most at home away from all the glitz and glamour.
Her farm is located in the New York Catskills, and she's beyond thrilled with that big home purchase.
In addition to her animals having space to roam, she enjoys that the peaceful location
puts everything into perspective for her. In 2020, she told The New York Times,
"It's insane how much I can feel so accomplished and successful
here without having to be in a successful movie."
To this day, the farm makes Seyfried happier than any Hollywood mansion ever could.
It's the reason she's stayed there for so long, and it's also why she has no plans to leave.
Settling down in the Catskills has helped her find a work-life balance. As she told the Times,
"[It] solidified my need to be out of the game when I'm not working,
to be in nature and to refresh. Everybody needs a center of gravity. Somewhere to feel safe."
"Sometimes I can't believe my life, and I think I chose really well."
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