Amanda Seyfried Said Being Considered ‘Overweight’ Nearly Cost Her Roles
Amanda Seyfried is an award-winning actor known for popular projects like Mean Girls and The Dropout. Like many women in show business, she’s felt the pressure of trying to adhere to a certain body image standard. The now-37-year-old once revealed she was considered “overweight” and nearly lost out on some of her best roles because of it.
Amanda Seyfried has been acting for over 20 years
Seyfried is an American actor who started her career in the late ’90s with a recurring role as Lucinda “Lucy” Montgomery in As the World Turns. She went on to appear in several other popular TV series, including All My Children, Law and Order: SVU, and Veronica Mars. But she rose to fame in 2004 with the hit comedy, Mean Girls, as Karen Smith.
Seyfried’s breakthrough came with the 2006 HBO drama, Big Love, after which she starred in several blockbuster projects. Some of her most notable include Mamma Mia!, Jennifer’s Body, Dear John, and Les Miserables.
In 2022, Seyfried appeared in The Dropout. In the Hulu series, she plays disgraced Theranos CEO, Elizabeth Holmes. For her performance, Seyfried earned several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress.
Amanda Seyfried says she almost lost some of her roles because she was considered ‘overweight’
Seyfried has been open about her experiences in Hollywood and her attitude toward body image. In a 2010 interview with Glamour, the actor talked about her fitness routine and how she’s dealt with the pressure to adhere to certain physical standards.
“If I didn’t run and work out, there’s no way I would be this thin,” Seyfried said. “But I have to stay in shape because I’m an actress. It’s f***ed up and it’s twisted, but I wouldn’t get the roles otherwise. If I’d been a bit bigger, I don’t think they would have cast me for Mamma Mia!“
In 2014, the actor called out the industry for body shaming and revealed she almost lost roles because she was perceived as “overweight.”
“Fun fact: I almost lost out on several roles in my career because I was overweight,” Seyfried wrote on Twitter. “Wrong, America.”
Amanda Seyfried says ‘moderation is healthy’
Seyfried lives on a farm, where she tends to her many animals and maintains an active lifestyle. The mother of two exercises and eats healthy fruits and veggies daily, but believes moderation is key.
“Exercise is first and foremost what I need to keep doing to promote those good vibes, and I try to do it every day,” Seyfried told Vogue in 2016. “That physical release of stress is so therapeutic. Even a half-hour of jump-roping, on the bike, at Pure Barre, always makes for a more relaxing day.”
“Eat that bread and butter, have that drink if you drink,” she added. “This is what we live for, these moments. Moderation is a healthy thing. What would we do without it?”
