Amanda Seyfried started the year with two of her movies in theaters at the same time, The Housemaid and The Testament of Ann Lee. The first one is a crowd-pleasing thriller that’s been hitting box office milestones next to Avatar: Fire and Ash over other 2026 movie releases, and the other is a daring musical that had her among 2026 Golden Globe nominees. Seyfried recently opened up about why she thinks it’s a “great sign” her movie Ann Lee has been challenging for audiences.
The Testament of Ann Lee is inspired by the true story of the founding leader of the Shaker movement who lived in 18th century England. She was believed to be the female embodiment of Jesus Christ by her followers. Early in the film, the audience witnesses as Ann gives birth four times and loses each of one of her kids in their early infancy. Seyfried said this about about the sequence:
Rumor has it that more than a dozen men walked out of one of the screenings in Venice during that, which I think is a great sign. It says that we’re doing it right. And for people that haven’t been privy to that, I think it really does show a side of humanity that we’re constantly striving to portray in movies.
In an interview On Film… With Kevin McCarthy, the actress pointed out a rumor that tons of people who attended the premiere at the Venice Film Festival back in September, men specifically walked out. Per one Letterboxd review from someone who saw the movie early in October, he noticed “20 people” who walked out “early” during his IMAX screening. It’s safe to say that it’s the kind of movie that tests audiences to experience Lee’s suffering, sometimes to the point of deciding to give up on the movie. As Seyfried continued:
There’s this incredibly graphic scene, and by the way, you’ve never seen childbirth like this, and it’s necessary for it to be as graphic. Like, you need to see blood if you’re going to earn the journey or if we’re going to earn your trust as storytellers you need to be on the ride in a way that is unparalleled.
One major element of Ann Lee’s life is how she decides to adopt a life of strict celibacy (which her Shakers movement preaches as well) following her multiple experiences with childbirth, along with having a negative experience being married to Abraham Standerin. Amanda Seyfried said that both she and writer/director Mona Fastvold felt it was important to make Ann’s childbirth scenes graphic in order for the events of the rest of the movie to be earned, with it being Fastvold’s idea in particular to go above and beyond with the scene. Seyfried also shared this:
That was a real mindfuck, because I have real experiences in childbirth, as does [Mona]. Childbirth is traumatic – Ann Lee’s is obviously more traumatic than most people’s. It was heavy. Everything was heavy, but it didn’t cost as much as you would think because I’ve trained my body to accept things, and to let them go, and to sever.
Seyfried has two children herself, and she wanted to bring to light how “traumatic” childbirth can be in a medium that often sanitizes what the experience can be. While many have been talking about her performance getting snubbed for one of the 2026 Oscar nominations, Seyfried recently shared her hot take on the Academy Awards, crediting how getting to do the work she did in Ann Lee reminds her that’s she’s already getting to do the roles she wants without having an award in her possession (she was previously nominated in 2020 for Mank).
The Testament of Ann Lee is now playing in theaters!
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