Amanda Seyfried recalls ‘un-singing’ for ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’

Hollywood actor Amanda Seyfried has revealed the “animal sounds” she had to make for ‘The Testament of Ann Lee.’

The film, based on 18th-century religious leader Ann Lee, sees the actor sing on-screen for the first time since ‘Mamma Mia 2.’

Ann Lee was the founder of a Christian sect, the Shakers, after emigrating to the United States from England’s Manchester in 1776.

Directed by Mona Fastvold, ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’ is set for a premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Monday.

Ahead of its premiere, Amanda Seyfried termed her singing in the film as her “de-singing” due to the sounds she had to make.

“Some of it was un-singing. There’s no such thing! De-singing? Anti-singing? A lot of it was animal sounds as opposed to melodic sounds. And it was less about listening to myself,” the Hollywood actor said in an interview with a US media outlet.

Read more: Amanda Seyfried provides rare insight into her personal life as mom of 2

She continued, “In the studio in Budapest, I was hearing myself, but it was not happy-making — it was stressful, because I understood that I didn’t have to sound beautiful in a way that is beautiful to me. It was more like a woman on her knees.”

When asked if she loved singing in ‘The Testament of Ann Lee,’ Amanda Seyfried said that she made every effort in singing to best portray the grief of Lee.

“I did. I love singing. And I love the way it makes me feel when I’m acting. After the first week in the studio working on the two main songs before we started shooting, it felt great,” she said.

The Hollywood actor continued, “I do remember Mona just laying on the floor with me and my dog in the studio in Budapest while I was singing and trying to get closer to Ann Lee’s grief!”