From the outside, Amanda Seyfried seemingly has it all. She’s an Emmy-winning actress, cofounder of the sustainable kids’ playhouse line Make It Cute, and a mom of two who lives on an idyllic farm in New York’s Hudson Valley. But don’t let outward appearances fool you — she doesn’t take any of it for granted.
“I know how lucky I am,” admits the Mamma Mia! star, 39, who (like most working moms!) says it takes a village to keep her world running smoothly. “Life is very busy. When you’re a parent, it’s not all beautiful — it’s messy,” she explains. Thankfully, the actress says that “help is a text away, you just have to know that it’s OK to ask for it.”
While promoting Make It Cute and the brand’s new line of holiday decor kits, Seyfried — who shares daughter Nina, 7, and son Thomas, 4, with husband Thomas Sadoski, 48 — sat down with Us to talk more about parenthood, what it’s really like going into business with friends and why she gave up city life in favor of a more “romantic” scenery.
How do you go from actress to businesswoman?
What a mountain to climb! There are so many famous people putting their names on things because they’re interested. If you want to build a product and start a business from scratch, it’s a completely different animal. You have to learn on the go, and you really have to care about what you’re making.
You founded Make It Cute with your childhood BFFs Anne Hoehn and Maureen North. Is it ever hard to work with friends?
I feel like we manage to [still] talk to each other like friends. I know how rare [that] is. The hard part is I’m always afraid they’re mad at me! I’m still like, “I’m not doing enough. I should’ve been on that meeting.” I’m straddling a lot of different things because of my career and everything that comes along with that.
How do you juggle it all?
Help is incredible. My mom has been living with us since my daughter came out of me. [But] it’s hard, no matter how much help you have.
How do you deal with that?
It’s a constant struggle to be present with the kids and help them through whatever phase they’re in. Maureen, Anne [and I] have a really good support system between us, and that’s helped me tremendously.
The holidays are here. What are your family’s traditions?
This year we’re going to be in L.A. [visiting my sister]. But Christmas Day is always spent on the farm. Now that I have kids, I’m trying to keep it the same every year so they can have their memories shaped this way.
Why move to a farm?
I’ve always thought the Hudson Valley was a really romantic place, and it’s close enough to [NYC]. I could never give up city life, but I could never live full-time there because it’s too much energy for me. I feel like I live in a poem up here. There’s always something to take you out of whatever stress you’re feeling. And then I collected a bunch of animals, so that’s also a full-time job.
Describe your ideal night.
Sitting on the couch watching Dateline with my crochet or knitting after the kids go to bed. Every other night, I’ll have a glass of wine.
Your birthday was December 3. Feelings on entering the last year of your 30s?
Terrified! [But] Tommy got me a trip to a spa with my best friend, and it’s the nicest gift because she doesn’t live around here. So to spend time with her and get massages and tarot readings and eat good dinners is crazy.
What advice do you wish you could give your younger self?
Not to worry so much about what people think. We’re all so hard on ourselves, especially in our early 20s. You gotta worry less about how you’re viewed. God knows people aren’t thinking about us as much as they’re thinking about themselves.
For more on Seyfried pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on stands now.
