Amanda Seyfried took an unusual route into her latest film project, agreeing to work with filmmaker Nathan Fielder before informing her agents or arranging a formal deal with her lawyer.
The Oscar-nominated actor opened up about the unexpected decision in a new interview with Rolling Stone.
Seyfried joined Fielder and director Lance Oppenheim for their first joint, spoiler-filled interview about “You Can See Everything,” which has been in theaters for nearly a month and is approaching $80 million at the domestic box office.
Fielder explained that Seyfried became part of the documentary long after he had filmed the original scenes inside a beach house with former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans.
The filmmakers had shot that material roughly two years earlier but were uncertain about how to develop the project.
They eventually recognized that Seyfried’s portrayal of Holmes in Hulu’s “The Dropout” could offer a valuable perspective, particularly because her performance remained relevant to people in Holmes’ life, including her parents.
How Fielder Got in Contact With Seyfried
Fielder said he obtained Seyfried’s phone number through fellow actor Emma Stone. He then arranged a video call to discuss the project.
“I got your phone number through Emma Stone,” Fielder told Seyfried. “We had a 30-minute Zoom, and you were like, ‘Yeah, come over with cameras.’ We wanted to show you what became the first half of the film, and then we would talk about it. That’s all you agreed to.”
Seyfried recalled initially believing Fielder simply wanted her input on the footage and her experience portraying Holmes.
Her Lawyer Had to Play Catch Up
“I remember when [Emma] texted, and I was like, ‘Nathan Fielder? Ooh, I wonder if he wants to make something with me?’ My sister is a big fan [of yours, Nathan], and I know a lot of people are big fans of ‘Nathan for You.’ I’d only seen ‘The Curse.’ When you said you had 90 minutes of footage for me to see and help you work through, I was like, ‘Oh, he just wants some advice. He just wants us to know about my experience playing her and researching her and going into the mind of that quote-unquote character I portrayed.’ After the Zoom, I was totally game to do whatever you needed. It was just your energy [that persuaded me], and how much time you had spent [on this project], and that nobody knew this was happening.”
Seyfried’s first filmed contribution involved watching the footage Fielder had already captured inside the beach house. That material also became her introduction in the documentary, which arrives roughly halfway through the film.
However, agreeing to participate before handling the usual business arrangements created an unusual situation for the actor.
“I would say there was a lot of risk in the back of my head, and then when I told my agent and lawyer that I had already done it… Not the normal process,” Seyfried said.
She explained that she sometimes makes her own decisions about projects, without waiting for everyone involved in her career to weigh in.
“My lawyer was like, ‘Well, now we have to retroactively set your deal in place because you need protection.’ We weren’t even considering reenactments at that point.”
The experience offered an unconventional start to Seyfried’s involvement, with the formal protections and paperwork following after she had already begun filming.
Amanda Seyfried Reveals She Secretly Joined New Documentary Before Signing a Deal