Amanda Seyfried portrays a Philadelphia police officer in the upcoming Peacock series "Long Bright River," and the actress opened up about her wholehearted dedication to the demanding role in a new interview.
The Allentown native told Vanity Fair that "Long Bright River," based on a 2020 novel of the same name by Temple University professor Liz Moore, consumed her attention last year for "four months straight, nonstop, day in, day out." In it she plays Mickey Fitzpatrick, a mother and police officer who patrols Kensington and becomes entangled in a mystery that centers on her missing sister, who is battling drug addiction. All eight episodes premiere Thursday, March 13, on Peacock.
Seyfried — who broke through as a lovable airhead in Tina Fey's 2004 film "Mean Girls" and went on to earn several accolades through her decades-long career, including an Emmy Award for her portrayal of disgraced inventor Elizabeth Holmes in the 2022 series "The Dropout" — said she was hooked on joining the "Long Bright River" series as soon as she finished reading Moore's novel.
"I just had to make the choice to commit, no matter what the episodes were, how well written they were going to be or not," she told Vanity Fair.
Here are a few more takeaways from her interview with Vanity Fair:
'I knew that I had to do this'
Seyfried told Vanity Fair she felt compelled to join the project due to connections she felt to the story, including its setting — she grew up about 60 miles outside Philly in Allentown — and its exploration of the pain and resilience of a community touched by opioid addiction — which has touched her immediate family. A crucial aspect of Moore's novel and the upcoming show, which she also wrote and executive produced, is the complicated relationship between Mickey and her sister, Kacey (Ashleigh Cummings).
"A part of the reason I chose this is because I have a lived experience that this character had — not necessarily the same, but very similar," Seyfried said. "What I think this does that others don’t is dare to go into that darkness without a perfect bow at the end."
Seyfried also felt a kinship with Moore's writing.
"I could tell that it was written by somebody who also has experience with a loved one or loved ones who have battled it — and succeeded or failed and got through it or not," Seyfried said. "I knew that I had to do this. I felt like I owed something to Philly."
Seyfried's notion was correct as Moore, who lives in Philadelphia, has opened up about her own connections to the story.
"I could say that the first seed of the novel was planted in 2009, when I first set foot in Kensington — a tight-knit, vibrant neighborhood in Philadelphia that has become very dear to me, and that is often misunderstood and misrepresented in the national media," Moore said in a release. "I could say that the first seed was planted by my own family's history of addiction, which has spanned many generations and has been a topic of conversation among us since well before I was born. I could say that being a sister inspired 'Long Bright River,' or living in the city of Philadelphia. Really it's a mix of all of these."
Researching Kensington
To properly take on the role, Seyfried engaged in an all-encompassing research process facilitated by Moore. She listened to music by Philly rappers as recommended by Moore's husband and visited with Kensington organizations like meal-service kitchen St. Francis Inn and the nonprofit recovery organization Savage Sisters. She and Moore also accompanied Philadelphia police on a ride-along last January.
"You see the tension, and you start to understand who in Kensington feels safe with certain cops — which cops are taking care of them and which cops are just constantly trying to shove them off," Seyfried told Vanity Fair.
Despite filming in New York City last spring, the set of "Long Bright River" also had a particular Philly vibe through nonprofessional performers from the area that were brought in to take on minor and pivotal roles, Vanity Fair reported.
Good cop, bad cop
Moore said Seyfried's character, Mickey, has a "superiority complex" and is "flawed." The fact that Mickey is a cop brought about its own set of apprehensions for Seyfried.
"It felt a little off, putting the uniform on — even though I was on set — because we’re living in a time when there’s a lot of tension and a lot of corruption," she told Vanity Fair.
She added that the series does show corrupt officers who are in it for money, but also portrays the "good ones" who take on the job for nobler reasons. Seyfried also said she hopes the series shines a light on real issues faced by people living in Kensington and beyond.
"I hope people have an education on something: how much you didn’t know about addiction, or the compassion you realize that you have for sex workers, or the need to help out recovery programs — anything, if it inspires or provokes any kind of new behavior," Seyfried said.
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