Amanda Seyfried Reveals Why She Won't Star in a Broadway Musical

Audiences won't be seeing Amanda Seyfried in a Broadway musical anytime soon. Though the performer has demonstrated her vocal chops in movie musicals such as Mamma Mia! and Les Misérables, she recently told Vanity Fair that her musical projects will remain on screen.

"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 explained, adding that she stopped taking voice lessons. She has spoken about her stage fright in the past, specifically noting the off-Broadway production of Neil LaBute's play The Way We Get By.

BroadwayWorld previously reported that Seyfried was workshopping a musical version of "Thelma & Louise". 

Currently, she is playing Mother Ann Lee in The Testament of Ann Lee, which features extensive and heightened singing from Seyfried. It was during the filming of this movie that she realized Broadway wasn't in the cards, despite her love of the genre. 

"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." Check out the full interview at Vanity Fair.

The Testament of Ann Lee is directed by The Brutalist's Mona Fasvold and Brady Corbet. During her rise during the eighteenth century, followers believed Ann Lee to be a female representation of God and were known for their jaunty musical worship during religious services, which is depicted in the movie. It will arrive in theaters on December 25, 2025. 

Seyfried was seen as Sophie in the film of Mamma Mia! and its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. She also appeared as Cosette in the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables, alongside roles in films such as Mean Girls, Letters to Juliet, Dear John, Jennifer's Body, and others. Seyfried made her Off-Broadway debut in Neil LaBute's The Way We Get By in 2015. 

Photo Credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate