Amanda Seyfried stars in The Testament of Ann Lee; namesake reflects

The musical The Testament of Ann Lee, starring Amanda Seyfried and directed by Mona Fastvold, has drawn an unusual personal reaction from a journalist who shares the film’s title name, Ann Lee. Fastvold co-wrote the script with Brady Corbet, and the film dramatises the life of an 18th‑century Shaker leader who left Manchester to lead a religious movement in America.

The writer describes the production as a musical with Daniel Blumberg’s songs, thundering dance sequences and a depiction of a sect that embraces celibacy and ecstatic dance; she notes “excitable whispers” that Seyfried could make the best actress Oscar shortlist. The author says googling her own name now returns pages about the film rather than the 1990s Eurodance singer who once shared the name, and recounts attending a preview and a Q&A with Seyfried and Fastvold.

She writes that the film swept her away with what she calls its “animalistic fervour” despite some wonky Mancunian accents, and that she was relieved the film was good rather than a turkey. She also recalls being repeatedly misheard or confused for other people, including the director Ang Lee.

She cites other examples of shared-name experiences, including a Wisconsin businessman called John Wick, whose grandson Derek Kolstad named the fictional hitman; Wick told Wisconsin Life in 2024 that “it’s been a lot of fun.” The writer also quotes Michael B. Jordan on the importance of a name and what it can mean for identity.

Key Topics

Culture, Ann Lee, Amanda Seyfried, Mona Fastvold, Brady Corbet, Daniel Blumberg