Amanda Seyfried Stuns Venice With ‘Testament of Ann Lee’ Premiere

Amanda Seyfried was overcome with emotion as her new film, “The Testament of Ann Lee,” directed by Mona Fastvold, shook Venice up with a 15-minute ovation – topping “Frankenstein” as the longest of the festival so far

Co-writer Brady Corbet worked the crowd while a visibly emotional Seyfried pumped her fists in the air as the cheers and applause stretched into its seventh minute. Fastvold, the co-writer of last year’s Silver Lion “The Brutalist” and three-time Oscar winner, beamed at the crowd, overwhelmed by the booming reception. By minute eight, Seyfried whispered to nobody in particular, “What are we supposed to be doing now?”

Most of the crowd in the orchestra dwindled after 10 minutes in, though the packed audience members in the balcony — including members of the production and potential buyers — continued to clap. Corbet and Fastvold made their exit before the applause fully dissipated.

“I think people quite liked it,” Seyfried told Variety as she left the theatre.

Seyfried stars as the titular Ann Lee alongside Lewis Pullman as her brother William Lee. The cast also includes Thomasin McKenzie, Stacy Martin, Tim Blake Nelson, Christopher Abbott and Matthew Beard. Described as an “epic fable,” “The Testament of Ann Lee” is a speculative retelling of Lee’s life as one of the few female religious leaders of the 18th century and details the founding of the Shaker movement. Immigrating from England and originally settling in New York, the Shakers were known for their ecstatic behavior during worship, practicing celibacy and living in simply in a communal fashion. Due to their abstinent lifestyle, the movement has since dwindled and there are now only three remaining members.

Though it’s not a musical per se, Seyfried does sing in the film, which features music from Oscar-winning “The Brutalist” composer Daniel Blumberg. Of singing in the film, Seyfried told Variety: “Some of it was un-singing. There’s no such thing! De-singing? Anti-singing? A lot of it was animal sounds as opposed to melodic sounds. And it was less about listening to myself.”