Interview: Amanda Seyfried of Chloe

Disc Dish caught up with the the lovely Amanda Seyfried at the junket for Chloe (Sony, DVD$19.94, Blu-ray $24.95, released on July 13, 2010), art house auteur Atom Egoyan’s sexy drama movie. Starring Seyfried, Julianne Moore and Liam Neeson, the film concerns a doctor (Moore) who, suspecting her husband (Neeson) of being unfaithful, hires an escort (Seyfried) to attempt to seduce him, unaware that she is putting her family in danger.

We spoke to Ms. Seyfried about her titular role in the undeniably titilatting adult drama, which also represents the most adult role the 24-year-old actor has ever tackled.

DD: Though you’re a very visible, very experienced film actor at this point, do you think your turn in Chloe is a breakout role for you?

Seyfried: Absolutely. A couple of years ago, it wasn’t possible to get roles like this. It’s my first chance to play a real character who bears no relation to who I am. It was a big challenge for me. [Before Chloe], I wasn’t being challenged at all—I was playing versions of myself. Even though Mamma Mia was one of the best experiences in my life, it wasn’t a challenge. I got really nervous when Chloe finally got started–with all the nudity and loves scenes and working with Julianne Moore, I didn’t want to fuck it up.

DD: What was the audition process like?

Seyfried: It was a pretty standard audition—I just went in and read for Atom. I think I came in twice. I just did it the way I did it. A few weeks later, he called and offered me the role.

DD: Is there an element of risk in taking on a role like Chloe?

Seyfried: Oh yeah. The risk for me has to do with the nudity aspects. I’m an American actress in mainstream movies, and I would like to always be able to do them. For some reason, nudity is perceived differently here than it is elsewhere, and I didn’t want to lose any American audience that I was building. So, yes, it scared me. One friend of mine refused to audition when she found out about the requirements. Nudity doesn’t scare me at all; the only thing about it is the perception by the audience.

DD: The nudity is actually an element that could help to sell tickets and DVDs. Do you feel that that’s exploitive?

Seyfried: I guess there’s always a part of me that feels like it’s wrong. But because it’s being done the best way possible and that people under the age of 17 aren’t allowed to see it, it should be fine. I don’t really want to think about it. I’d rather think about the hardcore Egoyan fans that will definitely see it, and I hope they will enjoy it as much as his other films.

DD: And what about your fans! A Julianne Moore/Liam Neeson/Amanda Seyfried movie drums up an audience, too.

Seyfried: I hope so. And I hope the audience is aware of it and that they can watch it.

DD: Well, what do you think of it?

Seyfried: I don’t know. I can’t separate myself from it, so I really can’t tell you what I’m think about it. That’s the first time that’s ever happened. I walked out of the Toronto Film Festival thinking, ‘I don’t know.’ I felt like I was watching some of myself and some of the character, but not the movie.

DD: Sounds like you were a little confused.

Seyfried: I think I was. It’s funny–usually, when I’m preparing before a scene, I go, ‘How would  I react to this?’ when I’m in the moment. But this was the first time I thought, ‘How would the character react.’ I completely threw out my own feelings. And it was craaazzy! Really.