Amanda Seyfried Reflects on LES MISERABLES Live Singing: 'The Process Was Infuriating'

In a new interview with GQ, Amanda Seyfried reflected on her time filming the 2012 blockbuster adaptation of Les Miserables. She played the character of Cosette in the film, sharing scenes with Hugh Jackman's Jean Valjean and Eddie Redmayne's Marius. Despite having already starred as Sophie in Mamma Mia!, the performer said that she "was not technically ready or capable" for the live singing required on the production. 

“The process was infuriating. I knew what I had to sing, but they were hard songs," she admitted, adding that "the acting part of it came naturally and I loved it.” For the film, all actors sang live on set, a departure from most movie musicals which see the performers lip-syncing to pre-recorded tracks.

Seyfried went on to praise her co-stars, saying Samantha Barks, who played Eponine, was "miles better than all of us technically" and Anne Hathaway was "perfect." She also shared, "I was lacking in a way that I really wish I hadn't been and that's a regret I have." Watch the full interview with the star, who also breaks down characters from her other movies such as Mamma Mia and Mean Girls.

Directed by Tom Hooper, Les Miserables starred Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Anne Hathaway as Fantine, Russell Crowe as Javert, Sacha Baron Cohen as Thernardier, Eddie Redmayne as Marius, Aaron Tveit as Enjolras, Amanda Seyfried as Cosette, Samantha Barks as Eponine, and Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thenardier. 

Amanda Seyfried played Sophie in the film Mamma Mia! and its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. She has also starred in films like Mean Girls, Letters to Juliet, Dear John, Jennifer's Body, and more. Seyfried made her Off-Broadway debut in Neil LaBute's The Way We Get By in 2015.