10 Best Amanda Seyfried’s Film Performances

Seyfried has experimented with numerous genres throughout her acting journey, playing lead and supporting roles in major studio projects and smaller efforts. Her performances are always lauded, even if her films aren’t; even so, many of her projects have achieved high ratings on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

10 ‘Les Misérables’ (2012)

Tom Hopper‘s adaptation of the seminal musical Les Misérables centers on the decades-long story of Jean Valjean before and during the conflict known as the June Revolution in 19th-century France. Hugh Jackman stars as Valjean, with Anne Hathaway as Fantine, Russell Crowe as Javert, Eddie Redmayne as Marius, and Seyfried as Cosette.

Les Misérables received mostly positive reviews. Jackman and Hathaway attracted universal acclaim for their performances, earning Oscar nominations – only Hathaway won. However, the film’s ambitious approach, which involved the actors singing live, polarized critics, with Crowe’s singing receiving scathing reviews.

9 ‘Nine Lives’ (2005)

Nine Lives follows nine stories, each with a woman at the center, loosely intertwined through their shared experiences with love, loss, grief, and joy. Seyfried is among the nine women, playing Samantha, a teenager caught in the middle of her parents’ toxic dynamic.

The film earned positive reviews from critics, who praised its large ensemble of actors. Unlike other famous episodic films, Nine Lives received praise for making each story feel as relevant as the one before, with high praise for writer/director Rodrigo García. Robin Wright received high praise for her performance, including an Indie Spirit Award nomination.

8 ‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ (2018)

2008’s Mamma Mia! was the film that turned Seyfried into a star. She reprised her role ten years later for the long-awaited sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, which follows Sophie as she attempts to re-open her mother’s villa. The film also features the story of young Donna, played by Lily James.

Seyfried takes a backseat to James’ story as young Donna. However, the sequel has enough Sophie to satisfy fans of the first film, and Seyfried is at her loveliest when singing Abba‘s classic tunes. Unlike its predecessor, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again received highly positive reviews from critics, who commended James and Seyfried’s performances and the film’s music.

7 ‘Big Love’ (2006 – 2011)

The late great Bill Paxton starred in HBO’s Big Love. Co-starring Chloë Sevigny, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Ginnifer Goodwin, the show followed a polygamist Mormon family living in modern-day Utah. Seyfried played Sarah, the family’s oldest daughter; she remained a series regular for four of the show’s five seasons.

Big Love received mixed-to-positive reviews for its first seasons. However, future seasons achieved critical acclaim, particularly for the cast’s performances. Big Love received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series for its third season; Paxton and Sevigny earned Golden Globe nods for their performances, with Sevigny winning for the show’s fourth season.

6 ‘Mank’ (2020)

David Fincher‘s ode to Old Hollywood, Mank, stars Gary Oldman as screenwriter Joseph L. Mankiewicz as he attempts to write Citizen Kane‘s script. Seyfried plays a major supporting role as the legendary Marion Davies, Mank’s close friend and William Randolph Heart’s lover.

Mank received positive reviews. Critics had a divisive response to the film’s plot, pacing, and script, with many considering it conventional and safe. However, the production values earned acclaim, and Oldman and Seyfried’s performances received rave reviews. Seyfried earned her first Oscar nomination for Mank, among numerous other accolades.

5 ‘While We’re Young’ (2014)

Seyfried co-stars opposite Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, and Adam Driver in Noah Baumbach‘s 2014 comedy-drama While We’re Young. The story centers on two couples, one in their forties and one in their twenties, who strike a chaotic friendship.

Like most Baumbach movies, While We’re Young received praise from critics. Critics directed considerable and enthusiastic praise to Baumbach’s screenplay, with many considering it among his funniest and most biting. The four main actors also attracted positive reviews, particularly Driver.

4 ‘Mean Girls’ (2004)

Tina Fey‘s teen classic Mean Girls starred Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron, a new student moving in from Africa. Susceptible to influence, she soon becomes part of her high school’s most popular clique, the Plastics, and begins to lose herself. Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, and Seyfried play the Plastics, with Lizzy Caplan and Jonathan Bennett in major supporting roles.

Mean Girls is among the most influential teen movies of the 2000s. It received acclaim from critics, who praised Fey’s endlessly quotable screenplay and the cast’s performances. McAdams and Seyfried earned significant praise for their performances, with the film successfully launching their film careers.

3 ‘The Dropout’ (2022)

Seyfried delivers her finest performance to date in The Dropout. The show lives and dies with her: she’s front and center in every episode, commanding every scene with her anxious, discomforting take on the now disgraced Elizabeth Holmes.

Critics raved over The Dropout and Seyfried’s performance. Many called it the best of her career and one of the best portrayals of a real-life figure, commending her ability to capture Holmes’ infamous essence and physicality. Seyfried won several awards for her performance, including the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series.

2 ‘Veronica Mars’ (2004 – 2019)

Kristen Bell stars as Veronica Mars in the eponymous UPN show. The neo-noir teen series’ first season follows her character as she investigates the murder of her best friend, Lilly Kane, played by Seyfried.

Veronica Mars received universal acclaim from critics, who praised it for rising past the teen genre’s tropes and limitations to deliver a genuinely thrilling and compelling mystery. Bell earned rave reviews for her performance, with many lamenting her continuous snub by the Emmys. Seyfried’s short but prominent performance as Kane was also noted by several reviewers. Veronica Mars has become a cult classic, with its initial three-season run followed by a 2014 movie and a fourth season in 2019.

1 ‘First Reformed’ (2017)

Ethan Hawke delivers a career-best performance in Paul Schrader‘s 2017 drama First Reformed. The story focuses on Ernst Toller, a Protestant pastor struggling with his faith while serving in the First Reformed Church in New York. Seyfried co-stars as Mary, a pregnant widow with whom Toller forms an intense and intimate relationship.

First Reformed received acclaim from critics. Most praises went to Hawke’s tour de force performance and Schrader’s script, although Seyfried’s supporting turn also attracted positive reviews. Schrader earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, while Hawke received multiple accolades from critics’ groups; however, he was egregiously snubbed by the Oscars.

In addition to her acting career, Seyfried is also a trained singer and has contributed vocals to several soundtracks, including “Mamma Mia!” and “Les Misérables.” She has been nominated for numerous awards throughout her career, including Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Seyfried married actor Thomas Sadoski in 2017, and the couple has two children together.