Amanda Seyfried Says She Felt Pressured Into Nude Scenes
No one should do it if they're not comfortable.
Actor Amanda Seyfried has come a long way from her early days of acting on television and in films. Possibly best remembered in her feature film debut as Karen Smith in 2004’s Mean Girls, Seyfried has enjoyed a varied career portraying diverse characters in the past twenty years. Starting on the soap operas As the World Turns and All My Children, Seyfried moved quickly to other shows like Veronica Mars with Kristen Bell and HBO’s Big Love with Bill Paxton. Her work in film has seen the actor play fictional characters as well as historical figures, but through it all, she seems to have remained true to her principles and craft. Recently, Seyfried has brought the issue of nudity in scenes to the forefront and discussed her feelings on the matter in a post #MeToo environment.
In a recent interview Amanda Seyfried gave to Porter Magazine, the actor opened up about the pressure she once felt early on in her career to appear nude onscreen. The actress avoided citing specific roles, but speaking about the #MeToo era and how lucky she felt not to have been affected by it, Seyfried talked about walking around sets without much clothing on and how absurd of a notion that is when thinking about it today. She elaborated in the interview that “I was 19 and I didn’t want to upset anybody, and I wanted to keep my job.” However, the performer admitted that youth clouded her judgment at times as she felt like she didn’t want to create waves with those around her making decisions.
The most recent revelation that Amanda Seyfried was uncomfortable on set at a young age is not the first time she has spoken about the awkwardness some of her best roles have given her in real life. While promoting The Dropout, Seyfried gave a different interview with Marie Claire, expressing how disappointed she’s been in the last few years due to male fans quoting her character from Mean Girls. While the film touched on many high school cliches, Seyfried’s character Karen was often viewed as dumb and a bit of a ditz, specifically in one scene where she touches her breasts to see if the weather has changed outside. The Mamma Mia! actor feels gross to this day about how some fans remind her about the character’s weather-pattern abilities, mostly because she was 18 at the time of filming. She believes some people take their appreciation for the role to disgusting levels.
Many of Amanda Seyfried’s admissions about past concerns while filming has come at a time of great importance to the actor. Often taking minor roles throughout her career, she has shined brightest recently in critically acclaimed performances that have seen Seyfried earn nominations for both an Academy Award and Emmy Award within the past two years. She is currently up for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her work as disgraced entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout. In 2022 alone, Time named Seyfried as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, an honor she shared with fellow actors Simu Liu, Quinta Brunson, and Andrew Garfield.
