Amanda Seyfried has opened up about some surprising prosthetics used while making Mona Fastvold’s praised musical biopic, The Testament of Ann Lee.
The Mean Girls actor takes on the role of Ann Lee, the 18th-century preacher who became the leader of the Shakers, a Christian movement she established after leaving England in the late 1700s.
Fastvold’s film—written with her partner and fellow filmmaker Brady Corbet—debuted at the Venice International Film Festival last September. Early reactions highlighted Seyfried’s committed performance and the film’s unflinching attempt to depict a historical woman whose life remains only partially documented.
True to that approach, The Testament of Ann Lee includes explicit material, featuring sex scenes and moments of nudity. Seyfried recently said that level of bluntness was essential to the story, and it led to some very specific on-set additions.
“This movie, it needed to be graphic,” the star said of the film during an appearance on BBC Radio 2. “So, like, I had a prosthetic butthole.”
Seyfried also shared that she stepped away from Botox during production at Fastvold’s request. She added that she was pregnant while filming and wore a merkin (a pubic wig) for certain scenes.
“I was pregnant and naked, but I wasn’t naked at all,” she continued, “and at the end of the movie, I’m standing in front of a burning building with just a merkin. I felt so free.”
In the past, Seyfried has discussed her complicated feelings about nude scenes earlier in her career, including ones filmed when she was still a teenager.
“Being 19, walking around without my underwear on—like, are you kidding me? How did I let that happen?” she told Porter in a 2022 interview. “Oh, I know why: I was 19 and I didn’t want to upset anybody, and I wanted to keep my job. That’s why.”
Set for a 27 February UK release, The Testament of Ann Lee also features Lewis Pullman, Christopher Abbott, Thomasin McKenzie, Stacy Martin and Tim Blake Nelson. Seyfried has described pausing Botox as part of committing to a more natural range of facial movement for the role—something she previously called a challenging requirement.
“I couldn’t get Botox for a year,” she said in an interview with Who What Wear last December. “That was a big assignment… When I first got [Botox], I was, like, ‘This is amazing,’ because I frown a lot.
“But then it all came back in a way that was absolutely necessary for all the work I was doing.”
“I’m an actor and that’s my job and that’s what I love to do,” she added.
“I don’t necessarily need all that in my life. I just like it. The things that I like, I can sacrifice a little. Of course I can.”
The Testament of Ann Lee releases in UK cinemas on 27 February.