Amanda Seyfried Talks Coming Undone As Linda Lovelace [Exclusive]
More often than not there comes a time in a young actress’ career where the road of quality versus quantity splits into two. While the decision may not be obvious, for Amanda Seyfried, the precedence has been set in her latest project Lovelace.
Once a blonde ingénue, known for playing the super virgin in Les Misérables, or the charming dimwitted friend in Mean Girls, Seyfried turns a corner while playing to her strengths. Seyfried is more than the sum of her parts from past roles as she portrays both the humorous spunk and vulnerability needed to understand such a complex character. As Linda Lovelace she opens herself wide both literally and figuratively for an awakening performance.
Lovelace is a cautionary tale that sets up the story of a small town girl thrust into the so-called glamorous world of porn. Linda Lovelace marvels at her liberation for the first time, and falls into a deep relationship with boyfriend turned husband Chuck Traynor. The audience sees the inner workings of a young girl turned into a legend overnight.
Interesting enough, the second half of the film peels back the curtain to reveal the abuse and danger Lovelace endured behind the veneer while making Deep Throat. With Seyfried’s bold performance at the forefront, the biopic rips through the stigmatized world and puts a very different spotlight on an otherwise misunderstood woman.
The Inquisitr’s Niki Cruz participated in a press conference with Amanda Seyfried, as she discussed her first challenging role.
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THE INQUISITR: With Linda Lovelace’s novel, when it first came out people didn’t know what to think. Many people had different opinions on whether or not she was telling the truth. What was your belief after doing the film?
AMANDA SEYFRIED: I’m a pretty cynical person, so I knew right off the bat when I entered into this project that I was going to have to leave that at the door. Only because I was embodying her and my job is to validate her in a lot of ways.
THE INQUISITR: What was the challenge of playing her?
SEYFRIED: The challenge was the responsibility of playing her, especially because we were in touch with her kids. We wanted to justify her, and to reiterate what she was trying to get across. Also playing a real person in general is really hard. I had never done it before. Maybe it would have been even harder if she were alive, but that was truly the biggest challenge. Honestly I didn’t have that much hesitation, and apparently a lot of people did, which is why I was lucky enough for it to come to me.
THE INQUISITR: As a human being how did you take on this role emotionally and physically?
SEYFRIED: I still haven’t shaken it off, in fact. I did Les Mis three weeks after this wrapped so I just jumped into that. I played an 18-year-old virgin so it really couldn’t have been any more different. It was really hard. I actually lost myself in it, which was the first time that has ever happened in my career. I feel like a real actor now.
THE INQUISITR: There are some scenes in this movie that are really hard to watch, specifically the violent scenes. Was it hard to film? Did you do anything different to prep with Peter Sarsgaard?
SEYFRIED: We started at the beginning where we created this foundation together that made us feel safe and trusting towards each other.
THE INQUISITR: Linda obviously doesn’t want her parents to know about her career. Has there been anything that you’ve done in your career that you didn’t want your parents to see?
SEYFRIED: I don’t want my dad to see my naked body ever. I’m going to sit through it tonight and cover his eyes. It’s really just the nudity. I don’t have any problem with him watching me in violent situations. In sexual situations it’s a little tough too, but it’s more just the nudity. I think anyone can really relate to that. That’s been it for me.
THE INQUISITR: One of the things I thought that brought a measure of levity was the different hairstyles. You can track them as a timeline. Was that something you were keenly aware of?
SEYFRIED: My hair in this movie is insane! It’s super fun. I had quite a few transformations and I loved that. My favorite one was the afro.
THE INQUISITR: Did you really “practice” on a popsicle?
SEYFRIED: The popsicle thing was something I was just joking about, but I really did use it because when you’re simulating something, as an actor, it’s easier to be doing something. Technically my lips would be wet so if you want to be realistic [TRAILS OFF]. It seemed right in the moment to help. I’m simulating that, and it’s weird to simulate that.
THE INQUISITR: Did you have doubts taking on such a risqué role?
SEYFRIED: Yeah I mean there’s always the issue of how you’re going to be perceived afterwards with a role like this. After I met Rob and Jeff I didn’t have doubts. There was barely any hesitation because it seemed like the perfect challenge for me. I needed an emotional education and I also needed to lose myself in something. It really wasn’t that hard. There’s such a stigma about sex for a lot of younger actresses, but I don’t feel like it’s that scary. It was the least of my worries.
THE INQUISITR: You said it was kind of hard to step into Linda’s shoes. How did you relate to her?
SEYFRIED: I think a lot of women can relate to her in that she was kind of stuck. She made some bad choices and she was escaping one bad situation and kind of entering into another bad situation. How can you foresee that? Before the film was even in existence I didn’t really care about her story when I heard about her, but it’s important to know that everybody has three dimensions to them. You can’t just project your own feelings or opinions about things on to other people because everybody is a human being. She’s just trying to figure out who she is, and trying to figure out her life, like we all are. Her circumstances are pretty awful, which is why I wanted to play her. I thought I could do some justice. She tried so hard to be heard, and here we are trying to tell her story again.
LOVELACE HITS THEATERS FRIDAY, AUGUST 9.
[Image credit: Niki Cruz / The Inquisitr]
