Amanda Michelle Seyfried

• Early work (1996–2005)
During Seyfried's time modeling, she appeared in print ads for clothing companies including Limited Too with Leighton Meester. She stopped modeling when she was seventeen, and worked as a waitress in a retirement community. Seyfried took voice lessons, studied opera, and trained with a Broadway coach while still a teen. She began acting as an uncredited extra in the daytime drama television series Guiding Light. From 2000 to 2001 she portrayed the recurring character Lucy Montgomery on the television show As the World Turns. From 2002 to 2003 Seyfried played the recurring role of Joni Stafford on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) broadcast show, All My Children.
In 2003 Seyfried auditioned to play the role of Regina George in Mean Girls; the role eventually went to Rachel McAdams. While she was initially considered to play the lead role of Cady Heron, played by Lindsay Lohan, the producers of the film decided that Seyfried should play Karen Smith, Regina's dim-witted "Plastic" friend and sidekick. The film was a box-office success, earning over $129 million in its theatrical run. Seyfried's performance in the film earned her, along with Lohan, Lacey Chabert, and McAdams, an MTV Movie Award in the category of "Best On-Screen Team". Seyfried auditioned to play the title character on UPN's television series Veronica Mars. The role eventually went to Kristen Bell, and Seyfried portrayed the title character's murdered best friend, Lilly Kane. Her character was only shown in flashbacks. The show's creator, Rob Thomas, felt that Seyfried's portrayal as Lilly Kane was so outstanding that he used her more times in the show than he initially planned in the first season. Seyfried appeared in ten episodes from 2004–2005.
In 2005 Seyfried played the lead character, Samantha, a role written by director Rodrigo García specifically for her, in one of the nine parts in the film Nine Lives, composed of nine short films with different themes and an ensemble cast. For her performance in the film, Seyfried, along with the film's other female leads, won an award from the Locarno International Film Festival, for Best Actress. The same year she played supporting character, Mouse, in the independent film, American Gun. In 2006 Seyfried appeared in five episodes of Wildfire as Rebecca and had lead role as Chrissy in the short film titled Gypsies, Tramps & Thieves, by writer-director Andrea Janakas. Seyfried also contributed a minor role as Julie Beckley in Alpha Dog. From 2004 to 2006 Seyfried made multiple guest appearances on television series, including House, M.D., Justice, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, American Dad! and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.