Amanda Seyfried reflects deeply on the world around her, and her latest role only reinforces those feelings.
While promoting Ann Lee Willthe actress admitted that she has struggled with the state of America.
Seyfried said that talking so much about Ann Lee, the 18th-century founder of the Shakers she portrays in the film, has pushed her to think about what community really means today.
“How about we all don’t have any kind of agendas? How about our agenda is to take care of each other?” she said, calling socialism “a great idea” in the sense of shared care, though she knows the term can be misunderstood.
For her, the concept is simple: “If I have more money, I can spend more money on other people.”
In Mona Fastvold’s drama, Seyfried steps into the role of a woman who suffered a devastating loss, four children and turned her grief into a movement centered on equality and community life.
The film contains trauma, faith, healing and unexpected humor.
Before a screening at the SCAD Film Festival, she even encouraged the audience to embrace its off-beat tone, telling them, “I’ll let you laugh.”
But the connection she draws between Ann Lee’s world and the present is what weighs on her the most.
Seyfried remembers how, after 9/11, people came together in a way that felt instinctive and selfless.
“Everybody dropped everything for each other,” she said, noting how distant the collective spirit now feels.
“We shouldn’t have to have a meteor or a fire situation to drop everything for each other.”
Her reflections turned into a broader prayer rooted in the idea that people are more alike than they admit.
“We all want to be seen, we all want to be loved, we all want to be wanted,” she said, pointing out that both sides of any divide have the same basic desires.
That’s why she questions what anyone gets out of greed, ego or defensiveness, emotions she believes pull people apart instead of bringing them together.
Seyfried’s performance in Ann Lee Will is already being praised, but it’s clear that the experience is shaping her in ways that go beyond the screen.
Through the story of a woman who built a community from loss, Seyfried holds up a mirror to the present and calls for something simple, a return to caring for each other.
