If you asked most Hollywood A-listers, the biggest achievement would be to earn an Oscar. Not Amanda Seyfried. Every year, speculation swirls around who will land an Academy Award nomination and who might walk away with the trophy. And though Seyfried’s name is once again part of the conversation, when it comes to winning a "Little Gold Man," the former Mean Girls cast member has a perspective I genuinely didn’t expect.
In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Seyfried, who’s earning serious buzz for her dramatic performance in The Testament of Ann Lee (including a Golden Globe nomination), was asked whether winning an Oscar is something she actively wants. The answer from the 40-year-old Pennsylvania native was refreshingly candid. For her, the real priority isn’t the trophy. It’s the work itself. As she put it:
No. Do you remember who won in the past ten years? It’s not the win that’s important. It’s the nomination. It does thrust you forward. That’s a fact. Now, do I need one in a week or two or whenever? No, of course, I don’t. Would it be great? Of course it would, for every reason. But it isn’t necessary. Longevity in an actor’s career is designed. Longevity is about deliberate choices to make art among the big commercial things that are fun and pay. But, for me, all of it is art.
Seyfried also had a notably strong December. The book-to-screen adaptation The Housemaid premiered on the 19th and quickly became a major box-office success. That same month, Ann Lee began its limited theatrical run, ahead of a wider release on the 2026 movie schedule. While the two projects couldn’t be more different on the surface, the Mamma Mia! actress says her approach to both performances came from the same place. She explained:
Yes, ‘The Housemaid’ is a thriller that didn’t cost a lot to make, and made a lot of money, and is a box-office hit. And yet every single choice I made in that movie was as artful as the choices I made in ‘Ann Lee.’ I finally was able to marry the two in my heart and in my head, and I realized that is what I want for the rest of my career. I’m going to jump between genres as much as I can, and jump between indies and studios. So I’ve gotten this far without an Oscar. Why would I need one now?
The Les Misérables alum is quick to admit that winning an Oscar would, of course, be an honor. It’s not something she’d turn down. Still, when it comes to actual career momentum, she believes the nomination carries more weight than the win itself.
At this stage, the Mank star feels she’s already shown what she can do, moving comfortably between genres and balancing indie projects with big studio films. An Oscar, in her view, isn’t essential anymore. As Seyfried added:
Sure. But I feel I’m already proven. I’m getting people to trust me to do hard things. We all have ebbs and flows in our careers, and how we’re perceived can change from day to day, but I’m consistent in my choices and I’m consistent in my values and my needs. I’m also sitting pretty right now, because “The Housemaid” made money. That’s not always the case. Sometimes you’re in “Mamma Mia!” Sometimes, you do something like ‘Ted 2,’ or ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West,’ which were both supposed to do big box-office, and underperformed.
Seyfried summed it up simply: she feels proven. After nearly 25 years working steadily across film and television, the star of Big Love (which streaming with an HBO Max subscription) has shown that longevity doesn’t come from chasing trophies. It comes from thoughtful choices and a willingness to treat every project as art, regardless of scale. It’s not the kind of answer you expect in an Oscar-driven industry, especially during award season, but the way she lays it out makes her perspective hard to argue with.
For audiences curious to see that philosophy in action, The Housemaid is still playing in theaters. And for those eager to catch her awards-season turn in The Testament of Ann Lee, the film expands nationwide beginning January 23, 2026, following its limited release.
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