Amanda Seyfried on Battling Nerves in The Way We Get By & Why the Wicked Movie Is Her Number-One Plan

After appearing in big-screen musicals Mamma Mia! and Les Miserables, Amanda Seyfried is making her off-Broadway debut in Neil LaBute’s The Way We Get By at Second Stage Theatre—a concept that completely terrifies her. She’s battled anxiety and stage fright for years, but after taking a leap with co-star Thomas Sadoski and director Leigh Silverman, the screen star is feeling more creatively fulfilled than ever. Seyfried chatted with Broadway.com about courting boyfriend Justin Long on Instagram, why she still isn’t ready to star in a Broadway musical and her Wicked life goals.

What made you say, “I have to play this role?”
This is the first time I ever actually felt like signing on to a play. I’ve signed on to a bunch of them, but development is hard. When you don’t have a cast or a director, it’s really f*cking hard. It doesn’t usually work out. But I went into the reading with Tommy [Sadowski], and it was this shiny beautiful love story coming out of Neil LaBute’s head. It was like a shift had taken place inside of me. I haven’t been this excited for a project since Mamma Mia! It’s crazy. Usually it makes me sick and I’m like, “Oh, I can’t do this, how am I gonna pull out of this?” Being on stage is the one thing I’ve been fighting with since I was 10, since I can remember.

You’ve had a long battle with stage fright—when you got up there for your first performance, how were you feeling?
Tommy and I start [the show] lying in this bed, and beforehand we center ourselves and talk. He’s usually pretty cool, but the first show, I was freaking the f*ck out. And he says something different every day—he’s so supportive and amazing. But I can’t breathe, and my stomach turns in knots. ‘Cause I’m like, “What if I panic? What do I do when I panic? What if I ruin the show?” It sucks.

How do you get yourself to calm down?
My dad came to the city a couple weeks ago to go to a Mets game with me, and before he got on his bus back to Pennsylvania, I said, “I’m so scared that I’m going to sabotage my career and this opportunity to be on stage, and I’m gonna ruin it for Tommy and Leigh and everyone and I’m gonna embarrass everybody.” And he said, “Everything you’ve ever been afraid of has never come true.” And he’s right. Every night before I go out, I have less and less anxiety. I’m at the beginning of a whole new adventure. And I gotta say, it’s way more fulfilling.

Really? More than film?
Oh my god, beyond. It’s emotionally draining. I just woke up today with a little bit of a cold and I’m surprised it hasn’t happened earlier.

And you’re showing some skin—does that kick up your anxiety?
No, not really. I have a very European sensibility to all that. It’s a little shocking to some people, but most of the play is shocking. That isn’t really something I think about anymore.

This set is gorgeous—is there one item you want to steal for your own house?
There’s this amazing concrete statue of a Buddha behind the couch. I love that and I’m really hoping they let me have it.

Cool, I’ll put it in writing so they know you want it.
Yeah, I’ll be like, “Bitch, I put my soul out there every night, I should get a Buddha!” [Laughs.]

You and your boyfriend Justin Long first connected on Instagram—do you have any tips for online flirting?
Yeah, we were acquaintances and then every once in a while we would check in online. Social media is so great. I haven’t been in the game for quite some time, but what I would do is make a funny comment on his Instagram. Humor is the most attractive thing.

Now that you’ve done The Way We Get By, what about a musical?
No. The idea of doing the same thing every night for six months makes me wanna die. I'm in awe of the people who do that. I like to have a drink at night and you can’t really do that. If it was a short commitment, a couple months, I would consider doing it. There’s a great musical called Waitress coming out that my friend [book writer] Jessie Nelson wrote, and I was like, “Are there any roles for me?” I am interested. But the Broadway commitment is a lot. It’s something I can’t really wrap my head around yet.

You just starred in Ted 2, what about doing The Music Man on screen with Seth MacFarlane as Harold Hill and you as Marian?
Tell him that! Write it down in the article and I’ll send him the link, because that would be amazing. He’ll probably laugh and say, “Yeah, yeah...” But he wrote a song with Walter Murphy for me for Ted 2 called “Mean Old Moon.” I can’t wait for the movie to come out because I want everyone to hear that song. I play the guitar and it’s really cool. Seth and I are definitely in cahoots in terms of music.

But you’d still be into playing Glinda in the Wicked movie?
That’s my number-one plan for my future [laughs]. If they don’t want me to do it, then fine. But if they want me, I’m 100 percent a go. I still take voice lessons and if this play hasn’t ruined my vocal cords from yelling every night, I would like to be a soprano forever.