Amanda Seyfried – who is set to reprise her role as Sophie Sheridan in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again this summer – has been in the spotlight since she was 15, after landing roles in both As The World Turns and All My Children.

She later went on to pick up parts in the likes of Mean Girls, HBO’s Big Love, Jennifer’s Body and Dear John, proving herself to be an incredibly versatile actress. However, Seyfried has now revealed that it took her co-stars a long time to see her as more than a ‘girl’.

“Things are better now I’m older, rather than as a teenager, when I was treated terribly,” she explains to Elle UK.

Referencing her colleagues, the Hollywood star recalls them saying: “’Oh, you’re in your 30s now? I guess I can trust your opinion, or trust you’ll show up to work on time.’ Even though I’ve never, ever been late, even as a 15-year-old.”

Seyfried, who welcomed a daughter last year with husband Thomas Sadoski, says being a mother has helped her put things into perspective.

“I learned after having a child: not to take things so personally, because it’s such a waste of time,” she says, explaining motherhood has helped her find a new love for what she does.

More important than this, though, is the fact that the world has changed around her as she’s grown up in the public eye. As such, Seyfried now has the support of the #TimesUp and #MeToo movements, which helps her to feels braver, more empowered, and far less afraid of the repercussions for standing up for herself.

“People aren’t afraid,” she says. “The #MeToo and #Time’sUp movements are all about feeling empowered to tell the truth and not be afraid of repercussions. Because that’s the thing. You want to keep your job, your sanity, your reputation. You can preserve those now; you can make sure that nobody else is being silenced, or made to feel uncomfortable or violated.”

Seyfried has always been open about her personal experiences within the film industry, making a point of showing the reality rather than the glossy, glamourised version we see on screen. Indeed, she previously revealed that she was diagnosed with anxiety when she starred alongside Sadoski in 2015’s off-Broadway show The Way We Get By.

“I started having panic attacks every six or seven shows,” she said.

“It feels like you’re going to die. It feels like you need to leave the stage. I would act through them, and I would just connect with Tommy. And he would always be aware of it. He would recognise that thousand yard stare.

“And then he would bring me back and the lines would keep flowing but my whole body would be cold and I’d be sweating at the same time.”

Seyfried went on to stress that, while she would feel as if she’d been crippled by feelings of anxiety for a very long time, in reality the attacks would only last for a minute or so.

“It would only last 60 seconds and then I’d get through it,” she said.

“It would pass on stage in front of everybody. There’s no way [the audience] would know, just Tommy and my mum.”

The Mamma Mia! star has, thankfully, been able to pinpoint the source of her anxiety: performing in front of a live audience.

Acknowledging that she feels far more “safe” in front of a camera, Seyfried added: “Up until [The Way We Get By] I just didn’t have the energy to fight my fears. Because the fear is just too much.”

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