Latest news with #AmandaSeyfried
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
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21 Actors Who Almost Played Donna, Sophie and Sky in 'Mamma Mia!'
NEED TO KNOW Mamma Mia! starred Meryl Steep, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper, among others The 2008 film attracted a number of Hollywood stars for auditions, including Emily Blunt and Amy Adams The movie musical hit Netflix on July 16It's difficult to think of anyone other than Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper in the parts of Mamma Mia!'s Donna Sheridan, Sophie Sheridan and Sky Rymand — however, a number of actors wanted the roles. 2008's Mamma Mia! — which hit Netflix on July 16 — follows Sophie's (Seyfried) wedding to fiancé Sky (Cooper) at her mom Donna's (Streep) Greek hotel. However, unbeknownst to Donna, Sophie has invited three of her mother's former flames — Harry (Colin Firth), Bill (Stellan Skårsgard) and Sam (Pierce Brosnan) — to determine which one of them is her biological father. The film — which is based on the Broadway musical of the same name — spawned a 2018 sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. In August 2024, Christine Baranski, who played Tanya, revealed that a third movie is in the works. Streep, who was a fan of the Broadway musical, was a shoe-in for the part of Donna. 'You don't ask Meryl Streep to audition,' producer Judy Craymer told Vogue in a September 2023 Mamma Mia! oral history. 'Universal made a bit of a fuss because we didn't go over their list of ideas first, to which I said, 'Sorry, but there is no list—we got Meryl f------ Streep!' " While many actresses auditioned for the role of Sophie, Seyfried ultimately captured the team's attention with her rendition of ABBA's 'I Have a Dream,' U.S. casting director Ellen Lewis told Vogue. Meanwhile, U.K. casting director Priscilla John "fought" for Cooper to play Sky. "The studio said they thought he wasn't fun enough,' she told Vogue. 'They saw him as a bad boy and seemed to want someone a bit more saccharine." So, who else was in the running to play the roles of Donna, Sophie and Sky? Here are 21 actors who nearly starred in Mamma Mia!. Donna Nicole Kidman Nicole Kidman was on the list of backups if Streep declined the role of Donna. 'We were asked by Universal to prepare a list on the off chance that Meryl didn't wanna do it," director Phyllida Lloyd told Vogue. Olivia Newton-John Olivia Newton-John's previous musical experience with Grease also made her a strong contender for Donna. 'It was more likely that someone like Nicole Kidman or Olivia Newton-John might say yes, because they had a prior history of singing on-screen,' Lloyd told Vogue. Michelle Pfeiffer While the team talked about auditioning Michelle Pfeiffer for the role of Sophie's mother, the Grease 2 star never officially threw her hat in the ring, Lewis told Vogue. 'I don't believe there were any actual conversations with her team,' she said. 'It never got further than an internal discussion between the filmmakers and the studio.' Craymer added, "There were a lot of names on our list, but Meryl was the only person who [Lloyd] and I wanted." Sophie Emily Blunt The Devil Wears Prada stars Streep and Emily Blunt could have had an on-screen reunion in Greece. John told Vogue that Blunt was invited to audition, but turned it down. 'Emily Blunt passed because she had moved to Los Angeles and was doing quite well at the time,' she explained. Years later in 2018, the Mary Poppins Returns actress had the chance to sing some ABBA while appearing on James Corden's The Late Late Show. Blunt belted out the band's 'Dancing Queen' in a feather boa alongside Corden and Lin-Manuel Miranda as part of a 12-minute musical montage, per The Hollywood Reporter. Michelle Dockery Downton Abbey star Michelle Dockery was a close second to Seyfried for casting directors. 'We loved Michelle Dockery, and she could sing because she did all sorts of musicals in drama school,' John told Vogue. Ultimately, Dockery took herself out of the running for Sophie. 'She chose to do a play at the Almeida Theatre instead,' John added. Carey Mulligan Seyfried had some serious competition in Carey Mulligan, according to John, who had recently cast Mulligan in 2007's And When Did You Last See Your Father?. 'She got quite far before we ultimately chose Amanda, who could not only sing but also looked so much like Meryl,' John told Vogue. Mulligan got her chance to play the part more than a decade later, when she was cast as Sophie in a 2019 spoof of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again for Red Nose Day. Natalie Dormer Game of Thrones' Natalie Dormer's busy schedule prevented her from taking on the role of Sophie. 'We adored ... Natalie Dormer,' John told Vogue. 'But she was filming The Tudors at the time and not available.' Gemma Arterton Although Mammia Mia! casting directors called The King's Man star Gemma Arterton 'a very strong soprano,' she didn't quite fit the visual they were going for in Donna's daughter. 'She looked nothing like Meryl,' John told Vogue. In 2019, Arterton teamed up with Mulligan for her Red Nose Day Mamma Mia sequel spoof, playing young Donna instead. Amy Adams Amy Adams — who went on to star with Streep in 2008's Doubt and 2009's Julie & Julia — was among the list of Hollywood legends whom Lewis recalled seeing audition for Sophie in Los Angeles. "Thankfully, I didn't really know anything about those A-list girls at the time," music director Martin Lowe told Vogue. "I've subsequently looked back at my lists of people we saw and been shocked to discover some of the people that I apparently met." Zooey Deschanel She & Him singer Zooey Deschanel was one of the few musicians who tried out for the role of Sophie. 'I don't remember that many actual singers auditioning,' Lewis told Vogue. Felicity Jones According to John, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story alum Felicity Jones sold her vocal abilities short during her audition. 'Felicity Jones was adorable but kept telling me she wasn't right for the part because she couldn't sing—even though she could,' John told Vogue. Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood, who's known for her singing roles in projects like Across the Universe and Frozen 2, also tried out for the role of Sophie, Lewis revealed to Vogue. The Westworld actress later joined forces with Seyfried to workshop a musical adaptation of Thelma & Louise. The musical has been in the works since at least 2021, per Variety. Leighton Meester Gossip Girl actress Leighton Meester also auditioned for the part of Sophie, Lewis told Vogue. Meester went on to show off her vocal talents in Cobra Starship's 2009 song "Good Girls Go Bad" and as Chiles Stanton in 2010's Country Strong opposite Gwyneth Paltrow. Mandy Moore Mandy Moore had a vote of confidence for her Mamma Mia! audition from former costar Chris Klein, who acted alongside her in American Dreams. 'You guys had Mandy Moore in here?' Klein asked in his own leaked audition tape. 'She is an angel of all angels ... she is just a dream come true. You should hire her on the spot.' Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Dunst was yet another name on Lewis' list of notable actresses who went out for the part of Sophie in L.A. Dunst got the opportunity to sing in 2007's Spider-Man 3, telling reporters at the film's premiere, 'It was fun. I got to pre-record it so it wasn't so nerve-wracking. I didn't have to sing in front of our entire crew." When asked if she'd like to pursue a musical career, Dunst said, "Definitely not. I'll sing in movies." Sky Sam Heughan According to John, 'All sorts of names came in for Sky,' among them Outlander's Sam Heughan. But unfortunately, his audition was one of his "worst" acting experiences, he told Backstage in September 2020. 'I was working with Will Young, this British musician, and he helped me with the song. He was, like, 'This is really high, I'll transfer it down an octave.' So I felt reasonably comfortable with it," he recalled. "I went in and I gave it to the piano player and I was, like, 'I'm just gonna put this down an octave.' And he was, like, 'No you're not. I'm the musical supervisor, you're going to do it like this.' It was like strangling a cat, singing for Mamma Mia!' Henry Cavill John told Vogue that English actor Henry Cavill was on the list of front-runners for the part of Sky, but it didn't work out due to scheduling. 'We were interested ... but he was in The Tudors at the time and unavailable,' she shared. Joe Anderson Cooper's part of Sky might have gone to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 alum Joe Anderson. "He had just done a musical [2007's Across the Universe] and his audition was fabulous," John told Vogue. James McAvoy Atonement star James McAvoy was also approached by the casting directors for the part of Sky. 'We went out to James McAvoy and Tom Hardy but they were both unavailable,' John told Vogue. Tom Hardy Tom Hardy was also 'unavailable' for the role of Sky, according to John. Chris Klein The American Pie actor also auditioned for the role of Sky — and his audition tape later went viral, racking up over 500,000 views. "It's a horrible audition,' Klein told Huffpost in March 2012. 'I took a chance — I can't sing! I don't know why I was in there. But I took a chance! It's a musical — let's see if I can give it a shot.' 'It was really a dreadful audition," he added. Read the original article on People
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sydney Sweeney Eyes ‘Barbie' Sequel Alongside Margot Robbie
As Sydney Sweeney leaves the "breakout" phase of her career in the rearview mirror, her impressive upward trajectory continues. Along with taking on unique and noteworthy acting roles, she's also ramped up her workload as a producer, with five upcoming projects, according to IMDb. Sweeney will team up with Amanda Seyfried in the upcoming thriller The Housemaid, which premieres on Dec. 25. She also stars on the hit show Euphoria and will step into the ring while leading the way in the Christy Martin Biopic, among other things on the horizon. However, as busy as Sweeney's current workload is, it seems she'd be ready and willing to make time for one specific opportunity alongside Margot Robbie, if it were to present itself. Sweeney was asked during an interview with Bustle if she'd be interested in joining a potential Barbie sequel, and the 27-year-old admitted she's a "huge, huge fan" of Robbie. "I'd have to read a script, but I'm a huge, huge fan of Margot [Robbie], so I would not be opposed to it," Sweeney said. Sweeney then agreed that she'd love the idea of playing Robbie's sister, hypothetically. While there have been rumors about a potential Barbie sequel following its stellar box office run in 2023, no official announcement has been made yet. Although it'd be surprising if fans didn't get an encore performance from Robbie, Ryan Gosling and the rest of the cast. Barbie pulled in more than $1.44 billion worldwide and an impressive $636 million domestically as The Numbers detailed. The domestic tally ranks No. 12 all-time, ahead of Deadpool & Wolverine and The Avengers. The wildly popular film also earned rave reviews from critics and fans alike, boasting an 88 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 83 percent mark on the fan-focused Sweeney Eyes 'Barbie' Sequel Alongside Margot Robbie first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 9, 2025
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rachel Brosnahan 'feels the closet' to Lois Lane
Rachel Brosnahan sees similarities between herself and Lois Lane. The 34-year-old actress plays Lois in the new Superman movie, and Rachel admits that she's like her on-screen character in many ways. The Hollywood star told The Washington Post newspaper: "The scariest part about this project is that she feels the closest to myself I've ever played. "Not in all the ways. I hesitate to say that, because I feel like that's so easily taken out of context." Rachel has actually found herself feeling "a little intimidated" by the similarities. The actress observed that Lois "prides herself on being ten steps ahead of everyone else". Rachel - who stars in the new movie alongside David Corenswet, who plays Superman - explained: "When something like the deep love that she has for Superman comes in and knocks her off her feet, she can't figure out how to logic her way around it." Rachel admits that she feels "a need to be perfect". She said: "I understand the instinct to try to look around every corner. For me, that's always been more about feeling a need to be perfect — to be overprepared, so you don't make mistakes. "It's one of the things that I love about acting: It forces you to upend that every day." Meanwhile, Rachel recently slammed actors who "complain" about superhero movies. The film star blasted actors and actresses who choose to appear in a superhero movie, and then rubbish the genre at a later date. Speaking to Amanda Seyfried for Interview magazine, Rachel explained: "I don't know why people say yes only to then turn around and complain about it. "Look, I don't want to s*** on other actors, but there was a minute where it was cool to not like superhero movies and to look back on projects like this and pooh-pooh them. Do it or don't do it, and then stand by it." Rachel feels particularly proud of the new Superman movie. The film star explained: "The cool thing about it is that it's what you expect, and then there's more. Of course, there's great fighting and stunts and big monsters and good and evil."
Daily Mail
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Amanda Seyfried and Adam Brody SLAMMED for 'tone deaf' remarks about disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein
Amanda Seyfried and Adam Brody are facing backlash over their recent 'tone deaf' remarks about disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein. Seyfried, 39, and Brody, 45, discussed their knowledge of the Weinstein 'rumors' while appearing together on Variety's Actors On Actors series last month. In a snippet shared to Variety's Instagram, Seyfried claimed she 'didn't know the extent' of Weinstein's abuses while Brody said he 'knew he was scary' but 'hadn't heard anything sexual' until Weinstein was exposed in 2017. The conversation took a bizarre turn as Seyfried recalled her own past encounter with Weinstein, with both her and Brody smiling and laughing throughout. She recalled being awestruck by Weinstein, who she described as the 'big papa of the room,' when he agreed to attend the premiere of her 2013 film Lovelace. The actress shuttered as she remembered 'giving him the biggest hug' at the event. Seyfried and Brody's Actors On Actors episode was released on June 9 amid Weinstein's highly-publicized rape and sexual assault retrial in New York City. Two days alter, Weinstein was found guilty of sexually assaulting his former assistant but not guilty of forcing oral sex on a teenage model. The judge declared a mistrial on a third charge of rape after the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision. Fans were left outraged by both Seyfried and Brody 'laughing' during the Weinstein discussion, with many calling them out in the comment section of Variety's post. has reached out to representatives for both Seyfried and Brody for comment. Amanda Seyfried and Adam Brody after facing backlash over their recent 'tone deaf' remarks about disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein. Seyfried, 39, and Brody, 45, discussed their knowledge of the Weinstein 'rumors' while appearing together on Variety's Actors On Actors series last month 'This is far from funny omg how repugnant of them,' one IG user wrote, with another adding: 'The way they are both laughing during this story is quite disturbing.' Many also refused to believe that the actors 'didn't know' about the Weinstein allegations, which industry figures have claimed was an 'open secret' in Hollywood. 'Oh they know. Everyone in hollywood knows,' one Instagram user claimed, with another fan going as far as to accuse Brody and Seyfried of 'lying.' 'Genuinely curious how they "didnt know" when every actor I've met in Los Angeles including myself, heard stories about that dude. I moved here in 08, everyone knew, if they say they didn't, they're [lying],' the fan commented. However, several Variety followers came to Brody and Seyfried's defense as they praised the duo for being 'genuine' during the conversation. 'Love her honesty,' said one fan of Seyfried's Weinstein story. The topic of Weinstein came up after Seyfried alluded to a 'moment' she had at the Sundance premiere of her film Lovelace Brody remembered that 'Harvey Weinstein bought' Lovelace, in which Seyfried plays real-life porn star Linda Lovelace, during the 2013 festival. He also recalled Weinstein attending a Sundance 'party' but encouraged Seyfried to tell the story how she remembered it. 'I remember seeing him drive away. This was pre-everybody admitting that he was the way everybody knew he was but I —,' Seyfried began before Brody interrupted her. 'I knew [Weinstein] was scary, but I actually didn't know...,' he said. '[Didn't know] to the extent,' Seyfried added. 'I didn't know the extent.' In a snippet shared to Variety's Instagram , Seyfried claimed she 'didn't know the extent' of Weinstein's abuses while Brody said he 'knew he was scary' but 'hadn't heard anything sexual' until Weinstein was exposed in 2017 Brody claimed that he 'hadn't heard anything sexual' but appeared to suggest that he mostly likely 'wouldn't have' since Weinstein's victims were women. 'I had heard, like, a few rumors,' Seyfried admitted. 'I see,' Brody replied. Seyfried then launched into her story about inviting Weinstein to the Sundance premiere of Lovelace. 'Yeah, I remember seeing him in a car and I'm like, "Harvey!" Seyfried began before letting out a laugh and remarking, "Oh, I'm so stupid."' She continued: 'Slow motion, he's like rolling down his window and I'm like, "Are you gonna come to Lovelace tomorrow?" And he's like, "Um, I'm supposed to fly out in the morning. When is it?"' Seyfried said she told Weinstein the details and that he told her, '"I'll make it there!"' At the time, Seyfried was thrilled that Weinstein had agreed to attend the premiere. 'And then I looked to Abby, my agent, who's still my agent, of course, and she was like, "Oh my God, Amanda, that's so great."' Weinstein attended the premiere like he said he would and ended up 'buying' Lovelace during the festival. 'He's like, "I bought it,"' Seyfried remembered Weinstein telling her. 'And I gave him the biggest hug and I'm like, "Oh my God, thank you."' Seyfried reenacted the hug for Brody by hugging herself in her seat. She later found out that it was actually Weinstein's brother Bob Weinstein's company Radius-TWC who purchased the distribution rights. Fans were left outraged by both Seyfried and Brody 'laughing' during the Weinstein discussion, with many calling them out in the comment section of Variety's Instagram post Many also refused to believe that the actors 'didn't know' about the Weinstein allegations, which were believed to be an 'open secret' in Hollywood What she remembered most about her entire experience with Weinstein was the 'excitement' in the room at the premiere. 'It was just the excitement with which the whole room was buzzing. And I gave him the biggest hug,' she recalled. 'I'm like, you know, "Harvey bought it." And he was like the big papa of the room.' Seyfried stopped mid-story to exhale and dramatically wipe Weinstein's 'hug' off of her. 'But it's just the way it was,' she continued. 'We all needed him to want our project if it was an indie because that meant it was gonna go somewhere.' 'Yeah, yeah. Wild,' said Brody. 'I remember him at the party.' Seyfried then interrupted him to joke, 'Where is [Weinstein] now?' Brody then sarcastically added: 'Yeah, what is he doing?' 'I'm just kidding,' said Seyfried. 'So f***ed up.' Brody then continued his story about seeing Weinstein at the film's after-party. 'I remember him bouncing around the party a bit and like the, you know, whispers [that], "He's behind you." But that's sort of it. I didn't get to hug him.' Seyfried declared that 'Hollywood is a safer place' now because Weinstein was 'like the dictator kind of.' 'He set the tone. He was the number one,' Brody said. 'And also people were scared of him' added Seyfried. 'And if people are scared of somebody, the right things don't happen.'
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Amanda Seyfried says she auditioned for 'Wicked' 6 times, shares advice for actors
Amanda Seyfried is opening up about how she auditioned for "Wicked" multiple times. On the latest episode of "In the Envelope: The Actor's Podcast," Seyfried said she auditioned for the Jon M. Chu-directed musical six times. "I auditioned like six times for Wicked because that had to be really just right," she said. "And I loved it. I was busy. I barely had time to do it, but I made it work." 'The Housemaid' film starring Amanda Seyfried, Sydney Sweeney gets release date She added, "I worked my ass off for years and years and years on that music. I'm competitive with myself in a really healthy way, I think." Ariana Grande was eventually cast as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba for the musical-to-film adaptation. "Wicked: For Good," the sequel to the "Wicked" part one, will arrive in theaters Nov. 21, 2025. As with "Wicked," Seyfried, who starred in the 2012 film "Les Misérables," said she did six auditions before being cast in that movie as well. Of the audition process, she said, "I actually love it, because it's scary as hell, but I love getting notes and shifting my performance." "It's like a puzzle for me," she said. "I love the puzzle and I love the competition. And I love waiting for the phone call with the feedback from the casting director." Amanda Seyfried is rooting for Sabrina Carpenter to join potential 3rd 'Mamma Mia!' film She continued, "If someone's like, 'I just want to see your take on this,' I'd be like, 'Great. I'll show it to you.' I love helping people audition. I love directing actors … I think there's something really beautiful about auditioning, because if you really have this skill, then you're going to show it no matter what." Her biggest piece of advice for actors was to be themselves in an audition. "I think centering yourself and just saying what you feel as opposed to a bunch of bull---- is going to be helpful, because that insecurity that's filtered through your behavior is not attractive," she said.
