With two splashy new movies to promote, including one that could nab her a second Academy Award nomination, Amanda Seyfried might be expected to steer clear of any controversy that could alienate potential audiences.
But that’s not what Seyfried is doing, as the star of the upcoming “The Housemaid” and the Oscar-buzzy “The Testament of Ann Lee” is refusing to apologize for comments she made on one of the most shocking and politically charged acts of violence in recent times: the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
While many reacted to Kirk’s murder by praising him as hero of free speech and a galvanizing young voice in conservative politics, others, like Seyfried, took to social media to point out his history of controversial comments about abortion, immigration, women and Black people — rhetoric that The Guardian said “advocated bigotry, intolerance, exclusion and stereotyping.”
In response to one Instagram post immediately after Kirk’s death, the “Mean Girls” star replied from her verified Instagram account: “He was hateful,” the New York Post reported. According to another screenshot of Seyfriend’s Instagram Stories, cited by the Post, she wrote: “You can’t invite violence to the dinner table and be shocked when it starts eating.”
In a new interview published Wednesday, Seyfried addressed the social media backlash she faced over her Kirk comments and she said she’s not sorry. Actually, Seyfried more emphatically said: “I’m not (expletive) apologizing for that.”
“I mean, for (expletive) sake, I commented on one thing,” Seyfried said in the interview for the Who What Wear fashion publication. “I said something that was based on actual reality and actual footage and actual quotes. What I said was pretty damn factual, and I’m free to have an opinion, of course. Thank God for Instagram. I was able to give some clarity, and it was about getting my voice back because I felt like it had been stolen and re-contextualized — which is what people do, of course.”
Right after calling the Turning Point USA founder “hateful,” Seyfried said she wondered if she should delete her comment but decided against it, according to her interview once the backlash began, Seyfried said she was inundated with texts from concerned friends and lost sleep worrying about the safety of herself and her family. She tried to neutralize the outrage by writing on Instagram, “We’re forgetting the nuance of humanity. I can get angry about misogyny and racist rhetoric and ALSO very much agree that Charlie Kirk’s murder was absolutely disturbing and deplorable in every way imaginable.”
“No one should have to experience this level of violence,” she added. “This country is grieving too many senseless and violent deaths and shootings. Can we agree on that at least?”
That post stirred more outrage, but also debate and support for Seyfried’s position. It’s not known if Seyfried faced any immediate professional repercussions for how she weighed in on Kirk’s death.
A number of people, across all kinds of professions, got into trouble at work because they said negative things about Kirk on social media or in the presence of colleagues, according to a New York analysis in September. The Times found 145 people who had lost their jobs or who were disciplined, including a North Carolina police officer who was suspended for calling Kirk racist while also saying his shooting death was horrific.
Three months later, Seyfried is promoting two movies being released this month. The first is “The Housemaid,” a glossy psychological thriller, which is based on a best-selling, beach-read-type novel. Due for release on Dec. 19, “The Housemaid” co-stars Sydney Sweeney, another female star who has been been embroiled in recent political controversy.
Seyfried’s second film should appeal to a more art-house crowd, as well as to Oscar voters — all of whom might align more with her views on Kirk. In the historical musical drama, “The Testament of Ann Lee,” Seyfried plays the 18th-century founder of the Shakers religious sect. Due for release on Christmas Day, “The Testament of Ann Lee” has thus far garnered positive critics’ reviews with Seyfried recently landing in Gold Derby’s top 5 contenders for a best actress Oscar nomination. She previously was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar in 2020 for the movie “Mank,” and she won an Emmy Award in 2022 for playing disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes in the Hulu series, “The Dropout.”
But box office often counts more in Seyfried’s profession, especially when it comes to a thriller like “The Housemaid,” which is headlined by attractive young stars playing characters caught in a sensational love/murder triangle. Perhaps problematic for Seyfried, some people responded to her comments in September by saying they wouldn’t go see any of her movies in the future, Page Six reported.
Page Six quoted one X user who said, “Amanda Seyfried believes Charlie Kirk assassination was justified. Make sure to never see another one of her movies.” Another X user also wrote: “I am not watching any more movies with Amanda Seyfried SHE IS SPREADING THE LIE THAT CHARLIE Kirk was Hateful. She should lose her Job. HAS SHE ACTUALLY WATCHED ANY OF CHARLIE KIRK VIDEOS.”
In a comment to Fox News Digital, Turning Point USA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet addressed Seyfried’s refusal to apologize for what she said about Kirk, the New York Post reported. He said the actor is free to say what she wants but also deserves “whatever backlash she gets.”
“Amanda Seyfried obviously knows nothing about who Charlie Kirk actually was,” Kolvet said. “She’s a victim of her own algorithm and echo chamber. But if your reaction to an innocent husband and father being assassinated in cold blood is to pile on and call him ‘hateful’ instead of offering condolences, or just remaining silent — I know wild concept — then you are the hateful one.”
Leave a Reply