It’s hard to believe that we’ve only been aware of doe-eyed Amanda for two years. Two years! She seems to have been around much longer, taking her place in the pantheon of stars with ease.

She blasted onto our screens and into our consciousness as Sophie, glowing daughter of Meryl Streep in Mamma Mia. She sang, she danced , she ran up and down Greek hills and she still managed a sun-dimming smile in each scene.

Where on earth did she come from?

Having started her modelling career at the tender age of 11, Amanda’s acting career began as an uncredited extra on Guiding Light but she soon worked up to becoming a recurring character on As the World Turns.

In 2004, she auditioned for the part of Regina in Mean Girls and, although she didn’t get the part, the film makers liked her so much they gave her the role of one of Regina’s dim witted side kicks.  The film was a massive hit and Seyfried was on her way.  She didn’t lose her head though, not this lady.

Mean Girls was my first experience on a movie and it got such critical acclaim that a lot of people on the street knew who I was—the girl from Mean Girls. But that only gets you so far. From this movie (Mamma Mia!), people might know my name, and that’s another big break.

Next she showed she was no dumb blond becoming part of the ensemble cast for Nine Lives, for which she won best actress at the Locarno International Film Festival.  She also did her bit in small rolls on the telly,  including hits like House, Law and Order SVU and CSI.

Things started to get more and more interesting in 2006 when she starred in HBO’s Big Love.  The hit show about a Mormon, his three wives and their relationships with each other, has been a huge hit for HBO.  Amanda has been on all five seasons so far, proving that she is as loyal to good TV writing as she is to big screen fame.

It was during the summer break of Big Love that Amanda decided to get involved with the screen adaptation of that ABBA musical. She was instantly named The Next Big Thing. Thankfully, she completely ignored the title and the bland fodder that usually follows, sticking instead to quirky, interesting films that enable her to learn her craft and work with some of the best in the business.

It’s really easy to avoid the tabloids. You just live your life and don’t hang out with famous people who are in the tabloids. Don’t do anything controversial and be a normal person. Have friends. And get a job and keep working.

Although Amanda avoided the ugly stick, she’s not interested in the Lindsay Lohan brand of fame:

I have belly fat like everybody else, and I don’t want to be airbrushed on the cover of a magazine. I don’t want someone to swap out my stomach with a supermodel’s. I don’t want dirty old men looking at me in my underwear.

She is also vocal on how women are viewed in Hollywood and the pressure it puts on her and her peers. When an interviewer put it to her “You don’t have belly fat. You’re just human,” she replied:

EXACTLY! But they don’t let you be human on covers of magazines! My friend Jenny had her legs cut out and a supermodel’s legs put in. She told me that and I was horrified. These days everybody has to be perfect, and I have an issue with my body. I’m not going to lie and say, “I eat everything I want,” and secretly don’t eat anything and exercise from 8 a.m. to 11 at night. I’m not going to do that. I exercise like crazy. I do Pilates. I do yoga. And I don’t eat (junk).

In 2009 Seyfried starred in two films that could not be more different – Jennifer’s Body and Chloe.  In Jennifer’s body she played Needy, a bookworm who’s best friend, a cheerleader, discovers an appetite for human blood.  And then there was that kiss. Amanda laughs at how much interest a simple kiss with Megan Fox could garner.

We knew that it was going to play a really big role in publicizing the movie. We kind of rolled our eyes at the idea of having to make out.

When it came to kissing Julianne Moore in Chloe, now that was a horse of a different colour.

It’ll never be easier. … It’s easier with men for sure. But the first kiss with anyone’s awkward. The scene between Julianne and myself was very, very intimate and very erotic, so it was definitely a little bit harder.

In Chloe, Amanda gets to show some impressive acting chops. She’s a mad prostitute who gets Julianne Moore’s knickers in a knot, proving along the way that her ease with Ms Streep wasn’t a fluke. This is a lady afraid of no one.

Her third queertastic role is coming up in Albert Nobbs, playing Albert’s love interest. According to imdb:

Glenn Close is planning to turn her acclaimed stage performance in Albert Nobbs into a film.  Close co-wrote the script with writer John Banville and the film will roughly follow the same plot – a woman in 19th century Ireland disguises herself as a man in order to survive and work. But her deception leads her to an unusual love triangle.

Sounds like just another day at the office for Amanda. All this in two years. What have you done lately?

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