From teen icon to major Hollywood player: Amanda Seyfried's career evolution and renaissance

Amanda Seyfried sure is having a moment.

The American actress, 40, known for films including teen hit Mean Girls and Mamma Mia!, is well and truly enjoying a career resurgence thanks to her work in The Testament of Ann Lee and The Housemaid.

Some fans may not realise Seyfried also narrowly missed out on the role of Glinda in the new Wicked film franchise, which ultimately went to singer Ariana Grande.

Watch the videos above.

During a recent podcast interview with Backstage's In the Envelope, the actress revealed she auditioned a whopping six times for the musical's big-screen adaptation.

On Monday, Seyfried turned heads as she walked the red carpet at the Golden Globes earlier this week, channelling old Hollywood glamour.

It was a big night for the star, who was nominated for awards in two categories across movies and TV.

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She was up for Best Actress in a Motion Picture, musical or comedy for The Testament of Ann Lee, as well as Best Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film for Long Bright River.

nine.com.au takes a look at how the star went from a teen icon to a major Hollywood player over the years.

The Mean Girls days

Hailing from Pennsylvania, Seyfried got her start in acting on TV shows, like the hit series All My Children, as a teen.

"My first on-screen kiss was with Michael B. Jordan. He was Reggie and I was Joni on All My Children," she recently recalled to W Magazine about her early acting days.

But it was 2004's hit film Mean Girls, starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams, that really put her on the map.

In fact, it was her first movie.

Seyfried scored the part of quirky "dumb blonde" character Karen Smith, which instantly made her a teen icon thanks to the film's box office success.

Speaking about the lasting popularity of the film and its impact on fans, she said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast: "I hope they quote it on my grave."

"People relate to it still ... it connected us, and it continues to. And I will always be excited to talk about it ... I will, any day, honour that movie," she added.

However, the legacy isn't all positive for Seyfried.

In one famous Mean Girls scene, her character reads the weather using her breasts. She told Marie Claire in 2022 that as a result, boys would often ask her if it was raining.

"I always felt really grossed out by that. I was like 18 years old. It was just gross," the star admitted.

The musicals era

Seyfried's singing skills have also landed her roles in major musical adaptation.

Mamma Mia! came out in 2008, also starring the likes of Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. Seyfried played the lead role of Sophie and showed off her voice.

Dear John in 2010 saw her cast in one of the most romantic films of all time, and soon afterwards she had the chance to show off her vocal ability again in 2012's movie musical Les Misérables.

She starred alongside Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway in the role of Cosette.

Speaking to GQ, she said about the role and her singing in a video: "Les Mis was an incredible movie, and oh, God, I loved it. The costumes, the people. We were all really happy to be there."

"But I unfortunately was not technically ready or capable of the live singing in the way that I would've liked to be.

"That process was infuriating. I knew what I had to sing, but they were hard songs. And the acting part of it came naturally and I loved it."

A public retreat - and a renaissance

Seyfried had shied away from fame in recent years, buying a farm in the US with her actor husband Thomas Sadoski for their family, who she married in 2017.

She told Marie Claire about the concept of fame: "I've never been super famous. I've always been somewhat recognisable. It's been the healthiest trajectory."

The A-lister is definitely back in the spotlight now, however, and her name is on everybody's lips.

This is partly thanks to her portrayal of Nina Winchester in The Housemaid, opposite Sydney Sweeney and Brandon Sklenar.

A sequel already confirmed after its recent release.

Her role in the thriller – an adaptation of a popular book – is a little different and darker to what fans of Seyfried might be used to.

The actress shares a close bond with Sweeney after working together on the hit film.

The star wrote in a recent birthday tribute to Seyfried: "You've become like a sister to me. I'm forever grateful for your friendship and can't wait to have more adventures together. I'm so grateful for you. Happy happy birthday."

A personal reveal

Last week, Seyfried made headllines for candidly discussing her years-long battle with OCD.

She told Vogue her OCD is "really extreme" and that she has been on medication for it for years.

Seyfried said she was 19 years old when she found out she had the condition.

"I was living in Marina del Rey at the time, shooting Big Love and my mum had to take a sabbatical from work in Pennsylvania to live with me for a month," she said.

"I got my brain scans, and that's when I got on medication – which to this day, I'm on every night."

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