Amanda Seyfried shoots, strips, sings

• Reprints

AMANDA SEYFRIED stars in GONE.

Updated: March 20, 2012 8:05AM

You just wrapped a biopic where you play the late porn star Linda Lovelace. If you’re Amanda Seyfried, what’s next?

You don’t go to Disneyland.

You go home to the house outside Los Angeles that you share with your sister. And you live a very real life.

“I got home three days ago and my sister said, ‘Hey Amanda, there are dishes and your laundry. Your dog just ate the kitty liter. Will you please clean up your dog vomit?’ We do get testy with each other.”

Seyfried, who stars in three major films this year, isn’t exactly living like a major film star. “You’re right. I tell my sister I’m a big star and she says, ‘That’s nice, Amanda. Go clean up after the cat.’ ”

In “Gone” (opening Friday), Seyfried plays a young woman named Jill whose sister disappears. She is sure that a serial killer who kidnapped her two years ago has returned and decides to turn the table on him.

With “Lovelace” behind her, soon she will film “Les Miserables,” where nabbed the coveted role of Cosette.

1 You’re not known for doing thrillers like “Gone.” Was that the appeal?

Thrillers are actually my favorite genre. This particular film was a bit daunting because I’m in a lot of the scenes alone, which is a lot of responsibility. If this is a bomb, this is my responsibility. But I can’t focus on box office. I have to care about making good movies that entertain. This film is a puzzle and you’re constantly trying to figure out the twists and turns. It’s such a fun ride.

2 How do you keep up the suspense in a film where you have to look afraid all of the time?

It’s tough to keep up that level of suspense in your acting. Sometimes to keep my energy up, I would just run in place before the really scary scenes. I’d run until I was out of breath. But that’s not enough. The emotion has to be there. It has to live inside of you. What helped here is this is a movie where my sister disappears. I live with my sister now, so it was cool that I could tap into my feelings for my real sister. I kept thinking, “What if my sister was kidnapped?” I know that I’d stop at nothing to find her.”

3 Why did you want to play Linda Lovelace?

I don’t think people know the real woman. People have an idea in their minds because she was a porn star. It’s a very narrow-minded idea. The truth is Linda had the most unbelievable traumatic experiences in life. She left her parents and had a child when she was 17. Her mom made her give up that child. Linda ran right into the arms of a monster and couldn’t escape. The nightmare didn’t end until she died. It’s an extreme story, but it’s real. That’s why there were so many people clamoring to make the movie. Linda finally found her voice, but it was too late. She did do a lot for equality.

4 Do you have an issue being naked on screen?

Nudity for me is not an issue. It doesn’t scare me at all. I wouldn’t ever do full frontal in a film — I’m not that comfortable! The truth is I’m still developing my feelings on nudity and films. But it wasn’t an issue for me when playing Linda Lovelace. There are some scenes of simulated sex, but we’re not actually re-enacting the actual deep throat scenes. We are re-enacting scenes from “Deep Throat,” but not that actual act. I didn’t think that was necessary at all.

5 What was the appeal of doing “Les Miz” on screen?

I was dying to do “Les Miz!” I talked to the director, and then four months passed. No one told me anything, so I thought, “I guess I don’t have it.” Then I got the call and I was over the moon. I can’t believe I got this role. It really has come full circle for me. I was 10 or 11 when I saw ‘Les Miz’ for the first time in Philly. I was one of those girls singing Cosette when I was 15. Now, I’m playing her at 26. The thrill for me is I get to sing again in a movie. I’m really, truly so grateful. But my poor sister. I’m going to clean up after the cat later and sing the entire soundtrack.

Big Picture News Inc.