Here's why Amanda Seyfried has never sung in a Broadway production
Los Angeles, Dec 17
Actress Amanda Seyfried shared that she used to dream of starring on Broadway, but she revealed that she'd be too anxious to sing in front of a live audience.
Speaking about the challenge of singing in The Testament of Ann Lee, the new historical musical drama film, Seyfried told Vanity Fair: "I'm always striving to just be a little better. But this movie has made me step back a bit and appreciate what I already have.
"My voice coach is like, 'Where have you been' because I've known her for so long, and I'm like, 'I'm okay now.' I think my plan was to do a musical on Broadway, and then I made the decision to never put myself through that - because to be honest, my stage fright is like, life's too short.
Seyfried has actually found it liberating to accept that she'll never sing on Broadway, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
She said: "When I decided that I wasn't gonna do that for the foreseeable future, I just took a step back from voice lessons. I remember that day on set, actually. I was in Budapest, and I remember thinking I'd had two nightmares back to back about doing this musical on Broadway. I was just talking to my agent in a little break in my corseted dress and thinking, 'I can't put myself through that.'
"It's a devastating thing to uncover about myself, but it doesn't mean I'm weak. It just means that I know myself well enough to know that this will break me - and that was really liberating."
Seyfried made her feature film debut in the teen comedy Mean Girls in 2004.
The movie, which also starred the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams and Tina Fey, proved to be a huge hit with cinemagoers, and Amanda is still regularly reminded of the project.
Asked if she has re-watched Mean Girls, the actress had said "no."
"It's on often enough, though. I love it. I really love seeing my face on people's T-shirts. I'm a little resentful because Paramount still owes me some money for the likeness. Every store sells Mean Girls T-shirts with our faces. Don't I (get something from that)? Even the girl at TSA tells me it's her favourite movie."
— IANS
Reader Comments
Stage fright is real! I can't even give a presentation in front of 10 colleagues, forget singing on Broadway. Respect for her self-awareness. Also, Paramount should pay her for those T-shirts, yaar. That's not fair.
Mean Girls is an iconic film! It's funny how she mentions the TSA agent. Reminds me of when Indian actors like Shah Rukh Khan talk about being recognized everywhere. Fame has its own set of challenges.
While I admire her honesty, I do feel a bit disappointed. She has such a lovely voice (heard her in Mamma Mia!). Broadway's loss, but if it protects her mental peace, that's the priority.
"Life's too short" – that's a powerful line. We often chase dreams society values, not what we truly want. Reminds me of the pressure on Indian kids to become engineers or doctors. Sometimes, opting out is the bravest choice.
The part about having nightmares before a big performance is so relatable! Many of us have exam nightmares years after graduating. Anxiety doesn't care how successful you are. Wishing her peace.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.