Amanda Seyfried Revealed That 'Mean Girls' Almost 'Pigeonholed' Her Acting Career

Several actors have struggled and are still struggling from the reality of being typecasted due to their performances in previous roles; Amanda Seyfried is apparently one of them. The actress is known for her appearance in films like the "Mamma Mia" franchise, "Jennifer's Body," "In Time," and the cult classic "Mean Girls."

"Mean Girls" was the actress's movie debut after being in "As the World Turns" for two years. She also acted in some episodes of "All My Children" and "Veronica Mars." Since appearing in "Mean Girls," Seyfried has gone on to earn an Oscar nomination, a Golden Globe nomination, and several others.

The actress appeared in an interview and opened up about how her acting career was almost "pigeonholed" because of her ditsy blonde role in "Mean Girls." She was eventually able to break away from the reality of being typecast by getting a role in "Big Love."

Seyfried recently shed some light on her time after playing Karen Smith in the 2004 teen comedy "Mean Girls." According to the "Mamma Mia" actress, playing the blonde almost cast a negative light on the rest of her career in terms of getting more serious roles.

In "Mean Girls," Seyfried's character Karen was part of the Plastics, a clique of popular girls that embodied the word "mean." Karen was the nicer part of the friend group but also the most clueless and ditsier. She represented the term "dumb blonde."

Seyfried appeared in a recent interview with Variety and revealed that while "Mean Girls" helped her get her foot in the door of acting, it almost left her stuck. Her role as Karen pigeonholed her and made her into a specific archetype.

Talking about her time after "Mean Girls," the actress said, "Mean Girls got me on the map; it really got my foot in the door. But getting pigeonholed was the thing you had to fight. Back in 2004, I had to be really careful to not just be 'the pretty blonde.'"

Seyfried revealed that her involvement in "Big Love" made her break away from the mold of Karen Smith. "All the auditions I had for my first pilot season were just, like, blonde girlfriends," the 36-year-old said. "I wasn't going to be the lead because, for whatever reason, I didn't fit into that. I don't know what it was."

The "In Time" actress recalled when she auditioned for a movie, but her role as an "ancillary character" made her hesitant to join the cast. She said, "At the time, I wanted to work, and I wanted to work with the actors involved. Luckily, I then had opportunities that went a different way pretty quickly, and I'm grateful for that."

The high school movie was loosely based on a self-help book titled "Queen Bees and Wannabes" by Rosalind Wiseman. The story followed Cady Heron, played by Lindsay Lohan, and her attempt to navigate an American public high school after spending most of her life in Africa being homeschooled.

Other characters in the film were Rachel McAdams, who played the leader of the Plastics, Regina, Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Lizzy Caplan, Ana Gasteyer, Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey. The project had Fey as the writer while Mark Waters handled directing.

When "Mean Girls" premiered in 2004, it had mostly positive reviews from its audience and critics alike. Areas like its actors' performances (Lohan's in particular), direction, and script were all commended. The film grossed over $130 million to its $17 million budget. The movie set up the careers of several actors in the film and garnered a sizable cult following.

Despite the "Mean Girls" script giving the characters more depth than the typical popular girl roles in high school films, other characters were similarly typecast in similar roles. Seyfried's co-star, Chabert, was placed and continued playing roles in several Hallmark Christmas titles with around 27 appearances in Hallmark Channel movies.

Seyfried, on the other hand, managed to break the mold of the "pretty blonde" by starring in the HBO drama "Big Love." The role cast the 36-year-old in a more serious light, and she has since gone on to be a part of big projects and franchises and gained commendable reviews.

Her more popular movies include the "Mamma Mia!" franchise. The Oscar-nominated actress previously revealed that she was excited to reprise her role in the next installment. She was also a part of "Jennifer's Body," "Mank," "The Dropout," "In Time," and several other titles.

Seyfried  recently starred as Elizabeth Holmes, the real-life founder of "Theranos," a disgraced biotech company in the Hulu series, "The Dropout."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7rlZLw9m10