Amanda Seyfried is quickly becoming one of Hollywood’s hottest young stars. When we talked to her on the set of
Dear John, she was fresh off
Mamma Mia!, gaining rave reviews from
Big Love, and on her way to bigger and bigger roles. In person she’s absolutely charming, incredibly pretty, and very sweet. We had to catch her between takes and as she was getting make-up reapplied. Despite how late and cold it was, she managed to laugh and be perky the entire time we talked, which is not something that comes across on transcription.
As with the other interviews, Cinematical participated with UGO and Coming Soon, but for easy reading we’ll label all the questions as being from Cinematical.
Cinematical: So, are you happy with the restaurant scene and the way it is going?
Amanda Seyfried: Yeah, I’m pretty happy. I’m so comfortable with Channing. It comes pretty naturally, so when you feel like you are not really working hard, you can sometimes maybe feel a little self-conscious. And then, it’s like why isn’t this hard? Am I getting it? Am I getting in the act of it? But it’s fun and I’m eating really good shrimp.
Cinematical: Are you getting sick and tired of eating shrimp over and over again?
Seyfried: No, moderation is really necessary to perform that role!
Cinematical: How has your life been since your exposure from Mamma Mia!?
Seyfried: It’s been pretty ridiculous. I definitely don’t think I would be doing this movie had I not had the success with Mamma Mia! For a lot of reasons people are chosen for a cast in a movie. A lot of it has to do with marketability and what you’re talent is and how you connect with a character. That definitely has a lot of impact.
Cinematical: Did you learn much from Meryl Streep?
Seyfried: Yeah, a lot. There are a lot of obvious things about her as to why she has gotten so successful. She stays so balanced. Just the way she keeps her family and her career separate. She has traveled the world. She has really got it going on. She’s got her family, she’s got her career. It’s hard to do that when you’re younger though.
Cinematical: Right now you have a great opportunity for choices. What do you do when faced with certain decisions?
Seyfried: It’s hard. I’m lucky to have a really good agent. She also happens to be like a sister to me. We talk about everything everyday. I read as much as I can and she reads everything. I rely on her opinion so much because I trust her as a human being and as an agent. There aren’t that many agents out there that are trustworthy in regards to personal stuff.
It all comes down for me about who is directing and who is starring. I wasn’t sure who I was going to work with next. I wasn’t sure about the script. I wasn’t sure about the character and being cast and everything fell into place. If it blows up in my face, then so be it. I had a really good opportunity.
Cinematical: So, what has your day been like today?
Seyfried: Pretty easy. I had to get up at 8:30, which was fantastic. We came here and it was really kind of warm here in Charleston. I went over to the Piggly Wiggly for lunch. It was the first time I had ever walked in and I didn’t actually know it was a grocery store. It’s kind of fun being down here. I want to buy a house.
Cinematical: What attracted you to do this role?
Seyfried: I was at the Mamma Mia! premiere in Stockholm,and I met Wyck Godfrey who is one of the producers [on Dear John]. While in Stockholm, my agent Abby set me up with Lasse Hallstrom. He happened to be there too. We sat down for lunch at the Grand Hotel. It was good memories for both of us. We kind of clicked really well which was awesome. Here is a twenty-two year old American girl meeting with a hallowed Swedish director who has claim to all these movies. I thought, ‘I have to do this one.’ So I auditioned, and then, auditioned again. We were on the phone together and he would call and give me notes. There was this long process waiting to find out who they were going to choose.
Cinematical: Savannah’s character is fairly conservative. Do you find that to be tough or corny?
Seyfried: I didn’t notice it as much at first because I didn’t read the book. I chose completely just to read the script. Everybody I know read the story and I know the differences now. I didn’t find her all that conservative. In the book she is a super Christian girl. I’m like, ‘Oh God, I don’t want to play it like that.’ It can become unattractive and preachy.
Cinematical: Is there a part of Savannah’s character that you can relate to?
Seyfried: There are a lot of parts, I guess. Obviously, a lot of it is me. She is really motivated and impulsive and has a love for horses.
Cinematical: So, you like horses?
Seyfried: I love horses. I just started riding on the weekends now in the mornings for two hours. Savannah has a kind of quiet and peaceful balance and that is exactly what I need. I feel like I have become her like in the movie because I read and I ride.
Cinematical: Now that you are filming here, what is it about the place and atmosphere that you like?
Seyfried: It is so old. This town is just so blatantly historical. You can’t go on any street without feeling like you have stepped back in the 19th Century. It’s amazing. My house, where I am staying, is over a hundred and fifty years old. It’s probably my favorite place in the country. I’ve been to New Orleans. I’ve been to San Francisco, and this is my favorite place. It’s just the Old South-it’s southern–the food, the people. Downtown Charleston, I could just stay here forever. I am so inspired here. (Source)
Don’t forget that you can catch her on there tonight
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