Not gonna lie, I was bummed that Amanda Seyfried didn’t pick up more nominations for her titular performance in The Testament of Ann Lee. The Critics Choice and Golden Globes recognized her work, but then it completely dropped off. (Plus it feels like voters couldn’t fathom nominating two actresses for dramatic musical films, so Kate Hudson took the slot for Song Sung Blue.) Only it turns out it’s not the full sweep snub I thought it was! Because Ann Lee is only just now being released in the UK and other parts of Europe, which means Amanda wasn’t in fact snubbed by BAFTA! (At least not yet; check back this time next year.) So Amanda is now promoting the movie in Europe, which included a stop at the Berlin Film Festival. While some American actors have stumbled in speaking to the European press at Berlinale this year, Amanda landed thoughtful answers on women being front and center in her latest projects:
At a Berlin Film Festival press conference for “The Testament of Ann Lee” on Thursday before the film’s Special Gala screening, Seyfried was asked about what attracts her to a project and the experience of starring in both films [“Ann Lee” and “The Housemaid”] at the same time. Though Seyfried was not questioned point-blank about politics as many stars have been at this edition of the Berlinale, the reporter ended their question by asking Seyfried about the importance of quality in “these times when fascism is rising everywhere.”
“I think about, what’s worth leaving my kids for? And what’s going to give me the opportunity as an artist to flex myself and to learn something about myself?” Seyfried said. “I mean, this particular project [‘Ann Lee’] had quality all over it, and what I define as quality is a clear vision, and not necessarily a message but an exploration of someone’s life through storytelling in a cinematic atmosphere with a real edge.”
Seyfried continued that though Paul Feig’s “The Housemaid” — which co-stars Sydney Sweeney and has become a box office hit — is “vastly different” in content and the experience of filming, it was “also incredibly fun and let me flex myself and my artistic needs.”
“Not in the same way necessarily, but it was very fruitful for me personally,” she said. “And at the end of the day, I think both — I’m gonna say this — I love the fact that they’re both about strength of character, women with needs and who are activated by those needs and by the need for equality and safety in the world.”
Seyfried concluded that she’s “100% behind both movies” and is “thrilled that they came out around the same time.”
“Not just because they were so dynamic for me as an actor but because they do say something,” she said. “It’s just a different kind of genre with a different kind of appeal to different kinds of people. But women are showing up at the theater because we’re making movies for women.”
“Women are showing up at the theater because we’re making movies for women.” Yes! What a concept! It’s abundantly clear with box office hits like Barbie, The Housemaid, and just last weekend “Wuthering Heights” (however you feel about that particular adaptation). But will studio heads get the message? Doubtful! They’ll twist themselves into knots coming up with any other reason for why women-centric films do well. Anyway, I continue to be impressed with Amanda these days. Turning 40 in December really seems to be working for her; she’s candid and confident and kind of glowing. And as an artist, I’d say she’s definitely meeting her ambition of being a chameleon. So even though I’m disappointed she didn’t get an Oscar nom for Ann Lee, Amanda has shown in recent interviews that she’s got a level-head about it all. The nominations are a boost for access to projects, but otherwise she’s doing just fine marching to the beat of her own dulcimer.
photos credit: Dede/Backgrid and IMAGO/Christopher Tamcke/Avalon. Amanda’s gown at the Berlin premiere of The Testament of Ann Lee is Prada.
“But will studio heads get the message? Doubtful! They’ll twist themselves into knots coming up with any other reason for why women-centric films do well”
Like they always do.
Every once in a while it seems like there’s a glimmer, that things might be balancing out, with more movies about and by women, not just movies mostly centered on men with a token woman as the love interest or the one female member of an all male group.
But then I realize that people have been pointing out the male dominance of cinema – even in the face of blockbuster success of female-centered projects – for decades. Here’s an essay about it from Linda Holmes from back in 2013.
https://www.npr.org/2013/06/14/191568762/at-the-movies-the-women-are-gone
It’s not that people won’t pay to see female-led content. Barbie, anyone? It’s that male-led content is much more likely to be green-lit, produced, marketed.
But I think people on the creative side making a point to seek out projects with women central to the story, with women in front of and behind the camera, that is making a bit of difference, even if it takes media and critics a while longer to wake up and stop othering the projects and creators that aren’t 100% white straight male dominated.
I only see a couple movies a year in the theater but made it a point to see “The Testament of Ann Lee” which I thought was excellent. It was disappointing to see it get completely shafted in terms of award nominations; weird and arty plus male is fine but weird and arty and female is a bridge too far apparently.
Ah, no, weird and arty plus female has to have either some sort of sexual violence/domestic violence or degradation of the female OR just be sexually exploitative/salacious.
Be miserable or be a sex object, basically. They’ll tolerate violations of that rule ONLY IF everything else is mainstream and suitably commercialized.