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‘Long Bright River’ allowed Amanda Seyfried to go inside a cop’s mind with its creator

BBG News

NEW YORK — Amanda Seyfried’s face contorts into a grimace.

Recently, I reached out to Liz Moore, the writer behind “Long Bright River,” the book serving as the basis for Seyfried’s latest series, to inquire about the unique experience of observing an actor breathe life into a character whose first-person perspective she had mentally nurtured for such a prolonged period.

In a manner reminiscent of a animated character, Seyfried showcases her large, expressive eyes and mouth, skills she’s effectively used in projects ranging from “Mean Girls” to “The Dropout.” How does she do it?

She tells Moore, seated beside her in a New York hotel room, “I’m not convinced we could ever bring to life the ideas swirling around in your mind.” She continues, “It’s your vivid imagination that makes you an exceptional writer. I’m just not sure if anyone could accurately capture it.

Moore laughs, ‘That’s quite amusing!’ he says. ‘Your portrayal of the role is touching me deeply, and surprisingly distinct from what I had envisioned. But, this difference is actually wonderful.’

For Seyfried, the Peacock limited series, debuting on Thursday, presented an uncommon chance to portray a character based on a book while collaborating extensively with its author. Moore, who jointly developed the series with showrunner Nikki Toscano, brought along a rich trove of information, not just about Seyfried’s character Mickey, a Philadelphia police officer, but also the environment she inhabits. “Long Bright River” is set in Kensington, a district famed for being at the heart of the opioid crisis, and a location where Moore has been conducting research and volunteering for some time now.

Seyfried, being both an actor and an executive producer, expressed that it felt right to them when they saw you happy, as if we were on the correct path. Not having your happiness to gauge our progress would have made things much harder for us.

The novel “Long Bright River” tells the story of Mickey, who encounters a mystery that has personal implications. Her sibling Kacey (played by Ashleigh Cummings), a former drug addict and sex worker, goes missing at the same time as several other women like her are discovered dead. As Mickey, an unconventional and occasionally inept police officer, pursues the murderer, she also embarks on a search for Kacey, which prompts her to confront her own position in the community as someone who feels like an outcast herself.

The series shares similar key elements with the book. The plot originated from Moore’s affinity for Kensington, which she explored in 2009 soon after relocating to the area. Assigned to create an accompanying text for a photo essay on the district, her fascination with its history grew significantly, leading her to delve deeply into it.

She shares, “I was deeply touched by my interactions with many individuals struggling with addiction and some engaging in sex work to fund their substance abuse issues. Given my extensive family history with addiction, I found a strong emotional connection to this community on a more profound level. As a result, I frequently revisited the area to offer volunteer service.” The volunteering tasks she undertook included facilitating creative writing workshops at a women’s shelter.

Moore hadn’t anticipated while writing “Long Bright River” that it would develop into a series – such a thought, she stated, would have been detrimental to her fiction. For the TV adaptation, she was teamed up with Toscano, whose past works include the Prime Video series “Hunters.

After the two of them had written the first three episodes, they offered the lead role to Seyfried.

In a different conversation, Toscano clarifies, “Her authenticity and unique vulnerability seem incredibly real, which we felt perfectly captured the essence of Mickey’s character.

Seyfried heard the book, which prompted her to remark, “I can’t read and knit simultaneously,” and she discovered that it met a particular long-standing wish of hers: She had always yearned to portray a police officer on screen.

She remarks, ‘It was like the real deal uniform to me, and I’d never experienced that feeling before.’ Growing up, she admired cops, firefighters, and service members, regarding them as heroes despite the unclear picture [now]. Additionally, her friend Jennifer Carpenter, known for her role in ‘Dexter,’ often plays police officers. Seyfried yearned to have a turn.

Speaking as a great fan, let me share my take on Amy Seyfried’s unique perspective when it comes to her acting roles. Clad in a pink blazer and casually perched on her chair with crossed combat boots, she shared an interesting insight: unlike the characters she portrays, she isn’t naturally as confrontational as, say, Mickey. However, there was a strong connection to the story that drew her in.

Amy, like Mickey and Moore, hails from Allentown, PA, where she too experienced the struggle of addiction within her family circle. This shared background, perhaps, played a significant role in her decision to take on this role.

She expresses that there’s a unique connection between her and Mickey, a way to momentarily step away from the present situation without entirely detaching from reality. When an actor fully understands a character, it greatly enhances the portrayal of that character. In essence, Mickey felt like a trusted companion to her.

Seyfried and Moore openly discussed their individual perspectives on addiction, having been affected by it indirectly. However, Moore carefully navigates her role while recounting these stories.

She expresses that since we’re both family members of individuals dealing with addiction, we’re cautious about understanding the situation. As for herself, she believes she shouldn’t be the one narrating their story, but she can share her experience of growing up familiar with addiction from a young age.

In a similar fashion, both her and Seyfried can be considered as strangers to the town of Kensington. Remarkably, even though they lived close by, Seyfried wasn’t aware of it until after reading “Long Bright River.

Approximately a year ago, Seyfried, Moore, and Toscano embarked on a research journey that led them to Philadelphia, where they interacted with local leaders. Among these were Father Michael Duffy from St. Francis Inn, a facility offering food services, where Moore conducted a writing seminar, and Johanna Berrigan and Mary Beth Appel of the Catholic Worker’s free clinic. (The primary filming was done in New York, but they incorporated graffiti artists from Kensington to adorn the set.)

Moore points out that during her visit, she found herself appreciating the lively atmosphere of Kensington, but at the same time, she became aware of the sorrow that is evident on its streets, which can come as a surprise to those encountering it for the first time.

She mentions that there was a need to make space for everyone to express their authentic feelings about a location that she holds dear, yet may initially find overwhelming.

Seyfried found the experience “surreal” to see people under the influence on Kensington Avenue.

She explains, “I had studied the scripts and listened to the book, gathering all this information. But it wasn’t until I was actually there that things felt real and grounded me in a way I hadn’t anticipated. It’s challenging to share such a story without causing harm, but I want people to understand, to show empathy, to offer support and respect instead of trying to solve problems.

During the filming of a teaser for “Ann Lee,” Seyfried became ill with what she believes to be a stomach infection possibly contracted from being near cows. This project is the latest creation by Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet, the minds behind “The Brutalist.” Despite living on a farm, the cows were not hers, and she stars in the upcoming musical drama directed by Fastvold, which completed production at the end of last year. After her Prilosec took effect, Seyfried went on a ride-along with a local female police officer. She remarks that the day started off being rather uneventful but soon turned exciting.

In her small stature, Seyfried discussed strategies for utilizing her size effectively within her role, leading to a portrayal of Mickey where she adopted a position that functioned like an unseen barrier. This approach was novel to Moore.

Amanda added an unexpected aspect to her role, a toughness, which I hadn’t anticipated but was evident once the camera started rolling,” Moore notes, focusing particularly on Seyfried. “Given the physical demands of the character Mickey, it seems essential now that she has a harder exterior.

Mickey proved hard for Seyfried to disengage from, and the culmination of the occasionally draining shoot – which kept her separated from her children and grappling with additional health concerns related to her stomach – turned out to be surprisingly emotional. She acknowledged that she needed to release tension in a manner she seldom does.

She admits that she shed tears at the final event, “I rarely attend such gatherings,” she explains, “but I made an exception for this wrap party. The night ended with us shutting down the wrap party and moving on to another one. We were quite tipsy.” However, Seyfried’s voice takes on a secretive tone, causing Moore to interrupt with a firm, “No, that’s a cut.

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2025-03-13 13:32

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