Washington DC [US], September 11 : Actor and singer Amanda Seyfried opened up about giving up Botox and makeup for her role as Ann Lee in 'The Testament of Ann Lee', according to People.
'The Testament of Ann Lee' is a historical drama musical film co-written and directed by Mona Fastvold. It stars Amanda Seyfried as Ann Lee, the 18th-century founder of the Christian sect the Shakers.
'The Testament of Ann Lee' is "an epic fable inspired by the life of Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers, a radical religious movement that began in the late 1700s."
Fastvold said in a statement earlier, "Our film is a speculative retelling of the life of Ann Lee, one of the few female religious leaders of the 18th century. She and her followers, known as the Shakers, worshipped through ecstatic song and movement - trembling, exuberant and physically expressive acts of devotion," reported People.
Seyfried gave her best for her role in the new film and made certain sacrifices. Seyfried said during the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of her film that the "sacrifice" was well worth it.
"I'm an actor and that's my job and that's what I love to do," she told the outlet. "I don't necessarily need all that in my life. I just like it. The things that I like, I can sacrifice a little. Of course I can."
She added, "We did make sacrifices, and it was worth it. Every day was fun. We didn't just survive, we thrived," as quoted by People.
The actress previously spoke about forgoing Botox as part of director Mona Fastvold's no-makeup rule for 'The Testament of Ann Lee' in an interview.
"I couldn't get Botox for a year," she said, adding, "That was a big assignment... When I first got [Botox], I was, like, 'This is amazing,' because I frown a lot. But then it all came back in a way that was absolutely necessary for all the work I was doing."
'The Testament of Ann Lee' had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on Monday, September 1.
Amanda Seyfried got emotional as her film 'The Testament of Ann Lee' recieved a 15-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, reported People.
While talking about the film, Amanda said, "It's a celebration. It's an experience. It's unlike anything, so it is hard to describe for me as somebody who's not very good at describing things. But it felt very brave, and it felt very scary. But once we were shooting that lifted," as quoted by Variety.
During the Venice press conference, Fastvold explained why she cast Seyfried in the lead role.
"Amanda has a lot of power," she said. "She's really strong. She is a wonderful mother. She is a little mad. And so I knew that she could access those things -- she could access the kindness, the gentleness, the tenderness. And she could also access this power and this madness," as quoted by the outlet.
The director added, "And I think that, at our age, there is something really exciting about exploring the combination of all of that. And I saw that Amanda has all of that, and that she was ready to go full force into that," reported People.