Amanda Seyfried Told Lin-Manuel Miranda She Wanted to Star in OCTET Before Knowing What it Was

Before being cast in Lin-Manuel Miranda's Octet film, Amanda Seyfried didn't know much about his latest project. Despite this, the Mamma Mia! star wanted in anyway, telling People that she was interested in the movie before Miranda gave his pitch.

"I didn't even know what it was exactly. I just knew that Lin-Manuel Miranda was making a new project and he was directing a new movie, and it was a musical," she shared, adding that she met with the director specifically to discuss the film. "'I was like, 'I don't care what it is. I'm in.' And he said, 'Let me just explain it to you.' "

Production recently started on the film adaptation of the musical, which also stars Jonathan Groff, Rachel Zegler, and Phillipa Soo. Seyfried plays the character of Jessica, who sings the number "Refresh" early in the stage show.

The actress went on to tell People that singing is "what I love to do. It's what makes me happy, and to do it for work is absolutely better than I could have ever hoped, so I'm in it right now. We're in it right now, and some of the best moments of my life have just happened this week." 

Octet is an a acapella chamber musical about eight internet-obsessed people who meet in a church basement and lock their phones in a box. The Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812) musical follows an octet of people struggling with digital dependency, charting their compulsions using only the analog vibrancy of their own voices. The piece premiered on May 19, 2019, at Off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre in New York City.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's film version stars Amanda Seyfried as Jessica, Rachel Zegler as Velma, Sheryl Lee Ralph as Paula, Phillipa Soo as Karly, Gaten Matarazzo as Toby, Jonathan Groff as Henry, Tramell Tillman as Marvin, and Paul-Jordan Jansen as Ed. Writer and composer Dave Malloy is adapting the musical's book for the big screen and will also serve as Executive Producer.

Seyfried most recently starred in the historical musical The Testament of Ann Lee, which saw her sing and dance as the religious figure. Other musical credits include Sophie in the film adaptation of Mamma Mia! and its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and Cosette in the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables.

Photo Credit: Noam Galai/Peacock