Amanda Seyfried Calls Socialism “A Gorgeous Idea” Amid America’s Turmoil

Amanda Seyfried is not just promoting a new movie. She is also thinking deeply about where the United States is today and what feels missing.

During a recent conversation tied to her latest film, ‘The Testament of Ann Lee’, Seyfried spoke openly about her worries for the country. She questioned how divided America has become and admitted she never imagined things would look this way. Growing up, she said, the U.S. felt like the place everyone wanted to be.

Those feelings connected strongly to her new role as Ann Lee, the 18th-century religious leader who founded the Shakers.

Seyfried explained that Lee’s belief in shared responsibility and community care feels very relevant now. Playing a woman who built a life around collective support made her think about modern values and priorities.

“Did we ever think this is where we would be as Americans?” she asks, her voice catching. “No. Because America felt like the best place to be.”

That is where Seyfried’s comments on socialism came in. She described the idea in human terms rather than political ones. “Socialism is a gorgeous idea,” she said. She added that many people argue about the word without agreeing on what it actually means. For her, it is simple. It means looking after one another. She explained that if she has more, she believes in giving more to others.

“Thank God we’re talking about Ann Lee so much, because there’s a direct relationship to what she created and what we’re lacking,” Seyfried says. “How about we all don’t have any kind of agendas? How about our agenda is take care of each other? Socialism is a gorgeous idea, and I know it doesn’t work perfectly, or that people understand what the word actually means. For me, it’s taking care of each other. If I have more money, I can spend more money on other people.”

Seyfried stressed that she is not talking about theory or systems. She is talking about people. She spoke about how everyone wants the same basic things: to feel loved, valued, and safe, and to protect their children. In her view, fear, greed, and ego stop people from seeing how much they already share in common.

She also pointed to moments in history when Americans acted together without hesitation. She recalled how people helped each other in times of crisis and wondered why that sense of unity only appears during disasters. According to Seyfried, caring for one another should not require an emergency.

While juggling press events, she admitted she feels pulled between work and home. She misses her children and her quiet life on her farm in upstate New York. That personal longing, she said, mirrors the larger search for connection that many people feel right now.

Her film, which explores grief, faith, and survival, became another way for her to reflect on these ideas. Seyfried believes stories about shared struggle and support matter more than ever, especially during times of division.

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