The role eventually went to Kristen Bell, and Seyfried portrayed Veronica's murdered best friend Lilly Kane.
Seyfried auditioned to play the title character on UPN's television series Veronica Mars.
Seyfried's performance in the film earned her, along with Lohan, Lacey Chabert, and McAdams, an MTV Movie Award in the category of "Best On-Screen Team". The film was a box office success, grossing over $129 million in its theatrical run. While she was initially considered to play the lead role of Cady Heron, played by Lindsay Lohan, the producers of the film decided that Seyfried should play Karen Smith, Regina's dim-witted "Plastic" friend and sidekick. In 2003, Seyfried auditioned to play the role of Regina George in Mean Girls the role eventually went to Rachel McAdams. She played Joni Stafford on the ABC soap All My Children from 2002 to 2003. From 2000 to 2001, she portrayed the recurring character Lucy Montgomery on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. She began acting as an extra in the daytime drama television series Guiding Light. Seyfried took vocal lessons, studied opera, and trained with a Broadway coach while still a teen. She stopped modeling when she was 17, and worked as a waitress in a retirement community.
Career 1996–2005: Early work ĭuring Seyfried's time of modeling she appeared in the printed ads for clothing companies including Limited Too with Leighton Meester, and was featured on three covers of the Sweet Valley High novel series. Seyfried enrolled at Fordham University in New York City in the fall of 2003, but did not attend after being offered her role in Mean Girls.
Seyfried has an older sister, Jennifer Seyfried, a musician in the Philadelphia rock band Love City. She graduated from Allentown's William Allen High School in 2003. Seyfried is of mostly German descent, with smaller amounts of English, Scots-Irish, and Welsh ancestry. Her mother, Ann Seyfried (née Sander), is an occupational therapist, and her father, Jack Seyfried, is a pharmacist.
Seyfried has appeared in a number of successful films, including Mamma Mia! (2008) and its sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018), Jennifer's Body (2009), Dear John (2010), Letters to Juliet (2010), Red Riding Hood (2011), In Time (2011), Les Misérables (2012), A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), Ted 2 (2015), and First Reformed (2017). Seyfried came to prominence following her feature film debut in the teen comedy Mean Girls (2004) and her recurring role as Lilly Kane on the UPN television series Veronica Mars (2004–2006) and Sarah Henrickson on the HBO drama series Big Love (2006–2011). Born and raised in Allentown, Pennsylvania, she began modeling at age eleven and ventured into acting at age 15 with recurring roles as Lucy Montgomery on the CBS soap opera As the World Turns (1999–2001) and Joni Stafford on the ABC soap opera All My Children (2003). Amanda Michelle Seyfried ( / ˈ s aɪ f r ɛ d/ SY-fred born December 3, 1985) is an American actress.