Amanda Seyfried on fame, anxiety and being self-critical

In a recent interview, Amanda Seyfried says she isn’t comfortable with her new fame and status: “I mean, why am I considered an ‘it girl?’” she asks.

“Because I’m in a lot of movies right now or am on the covers of magazines? I just hope there is something solid behind that.

“Because here’s the thing with ‘it girl’ status. It’s great and amazing that anybody is saying that at all. But how long does that last? I would like to establish myself. I don’t want to just have a moment.”

The article continued,

She admitted that she worries about the way she looks. And because she speaks often candidly to journalists, sharing tidbits about her life that her handlers might consider too personal (like the fact that she takes the anti-anxiety medication Lexapro), she said that she often has others minding her words.

[Lexapro is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) approved for major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, or panic disorder.]

“Oh, I’m always being briefed by a publicist before I have [interviews],” she said, twirling her braided hair around with her fingers. “They’re like, ‘Come on, you can’t be self-deprecating.’ ”

But that’s just who she is, said Atom Egoyan, who directed “Chloe” … “She’s very self critical. After I would say cut, she always had this expression of frustration, like she didn’t quite get it. But I found that quite endearing, because she’s always feeling there’s more she can do to capture or enhance or clarify.”

[From Amanda Seyfried in full bloom, By Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, May 15, 2010]

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Dealing with anxiety

Like many other creative people, actors may experience anxiety.

Energy psychiatrist Judith Orloff M.D. works with many actors, to help them deal with stage fright or other forms of anxiety. In her book Emotional Freedom, she suggests a number of strategies, including supplements and meditation, and “avoiding caffeine and other stimulants, excessive sugar, and violent newscasts and films.”

For some of her clients, she does prescribe Inderal, at least temporarily – a medication to reduce stage fright by decreasing the fight or flight response.

In my interview with Dr. Orloff, she says, “a better way is that I teach everyone to do a three minute mini-meditation where they learn how to breathe, center themselves, let their thoughts flow by, and focus on something really nurturing and positive, which is a better way, I believe, to learn how to shift your anxiety and really own the moment.”

Also see my site Anxiety Relief Solutions – Multiple drug-free self-help products and programs to relieve social anxiety, stage fright, performance anxiety and other forms of anxiety.

Being self-critical

James Earl Jones says, “I think self-criticism is sort of a given when you’re an actor. It’s also about being curious and not being flippant. Anyone who accepts being in this noble profession is automatically self-critical.”

From post James Earl Jones – being an actor is fun, but you’re self-critical

As I note in my article Being Creative and Self-critical: Healthy criticism can help refine our talents and creative projects in the pursuit of excellence. But when it is based on a excessive perfectionism or an unrealistic self concept, criticism can be destructive and self-limiting, eroding our creative assurance and vitality.

Being self-deprecating can be related to unhealthy self-esteem or feeling like a fraud, and self-criticism can be based in perfectionism.

I’m not saying Amanda Seyfried has any of those issues – but many very talented actors (and other artists) do.

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