Amanda Seyfried has shared the personal growth that came from not landing the coveted role of Glinda in Wicked, which ultimately went to pop star Ariana Grande. On Thursday, the 40-year-old Emmy-winning actress appeared on Chelsea Handler’s podcast Dear Chelsea.
During her appearance she discussed the extensive vocal training she undertook while preparing for the Jon M Chu-directed musical.
Seyfried explained that the audition process forced her to confront the limits of her vocal abilities.
“I completely let go of the need to access something that I might not ever be able to access in terms of, like, control of the vibrato and the stamina and the breath work. I understand that I’m not going to be starring in a musical on Broadway, where I need the kind of stamina that I’ve been trying to build,” she shared. Although she has often tried to avoid listening to her own singing voice, Seyfried said she revisited her Wicked audition tape and was pleasantly surprised.
“I sang better than I thought I would. I think it came with the excitement, the momentum of how much I was training for it and I was very proud of myself. That will never go away,” she proudly said. The experience also led to a deeper realisation about her identity as a singer. During her appearance Amanda also talked about her upcoming musical The Testament of Ann Lee.