AMANDA

The story of Elizabeth Holmes and her failed medical tech company Theranos gripped millions, including Amanda Seyfried, who portrays her in the series The Dropout. The actor tells of finding her version of the infamous “fake voice” and why she cringes when she thinks of Mean Girls

- BREE PLAYER

A stone farmhouse nestled in the rolling green hills of upstate New York’s Catskill Mountains might not be the typical place you would find an acclaimed Hollywood star. But for Amanda Seyfried, who lives there with actor husband Thomas Sadoski, their two young children, her mother, Ann, and a menagerie of animals, the idyllic farm provides a comfortable and serene refuge to balance the glamour and chaos that comes with being a seasoned celebrity.

While women worldwide know and love the 36-year-old from her breakthrough hit Mean Girls and her charming performance as Sophie Sheridan in the Mamma Mia! films, the locals in the Catskills are used to seeing the mum with her kids in tow and quite possibly a dog or a goat. In fact, during our Zoom chat, Seyfried glances anxiously at her phone several times, before apologising and explaining, “I’m waiting on a call about two miniature donkeys.”

A few days ago, Seyfried took her five-year-old daughter, Nina, to a gift store on the way home from ice-skating practice and the store owner mentioned she knew of two miniature donkeys that needed a home. Seyfried confesses she hasn’t been able to focus on anything since. “I’m just obsessed and nobody has called me about it for 24 hours. I finally called the shop and I was like, ‘Hey guys, not to sound too eager but, you know, we were told about the donkeys. We are very interested.’ So, I’m waiting. I mean, this gets me high. My husband’s like, ‘Getting you animals makes me feel like I’m an addict and we’re getting a hit right now.’ I’m so excited. There’s plenty of room for them. They will have the most amazing life here.”