This Actress’ ‘Best Decision’? Leaving Hollywood for a ‘Balanced Life’
Movieguide® Contributor
Actress Amanda Seyfried, mom of two, is sharing why she traded the spotlight for the quiet New York countryside.
“I moved upstate long before I had a family,” the MAMMA MIA star said. “Staying here was the best decision for privacy, peace and nature.”
“It offers a more balanced life than the city does,” she said, noting it was “essential for my mental health.”
READ MORE: WHY THIS MEAN GIRLS STAR TRADED CITY BUSTLE FOR FARM LIFE: ‘ESSENTIAL FOR MY MENTAL HEALTH’
She thinks of trips to NYC as fun visits, but “The next day I’ll be home and even happier in my boots in the mud feeding the animals,” she said.
The actress’s home in the Catskills has donkeys, chickens, cats, goats, horses and her geriatric dog named Finn. She said taking care of her farm has been “exhilarating” and a “learning curve” and has helped her kids learn responsibility.
“I can see them learning what a responsibility and treat it is to care for pets, even at their young ages,” Seyfried said.
“I grew up in a postage stamp backyard in suburban Pennsylvania. I always wanted space,” Seyfried told Us Weekly. “So when I was in my early twenties, I went to look for it, and the space I got, the property had horses on it, so I inherited those horses. And then from then on, I just started growing with goats and everybody [sic] that I wanted was available to me.”
The animals often get out of their holding areas, which creates an amusing dynamic.
“It just sucks,” Seyfried explained. “They don’t go far because there’s grass everywhere. They just want to eat. The mini horses get loose. The goats get loose quite often, but that’s an easy one to wrangle.”
The 38-year-old isn’t one to turn away an animal in need.
“I’m locally known as somebody who will take the emergency situation and adopt an animal in need,” Seyfried said. “It’s been great. And honestly, I’ve been able to do it. I have the means to do it. So I love it.”
Animals are “a grounding presence in our lives,” Seyfried said. “Animals are innocent and pure and peaceful and beautiful. I can’t imagine life without animals.”
READ MORE: AMANDA SEYFRIED REGRETS NUDITY IN EARLY ROLES: ‘HOW DID I LET THAT HAPPEN?’
