Amanda Seyfried Shares Why She Left Hollywood for a 'More Balanced Life': 'The Best Decision'

Amanda Seyfried is opening up about why she traded the bright lights of L.A. for the quiet life on an East Coast farm.

The actress, 38, shared her story with Forbes about first leaving Hollywood for New York City just as her star was rising, and later, still overstimulated by urban life, for a farm in Upstate New York.

"I moved upstate long before I had a family," the Mama Mia and Mean Girls star, who is now a mom of two, says. "Staying here was the best decision for privacy, peace and nature,"

"It offers a more balanced life than the city does," she continues, adding that the move was "essential for my mental health."

Her farmhouse in the Catskills region exudes tranquility and the rural location allows her to tackle "the high-energy of press events and life on-set" when she is working in show business, she told the outlet.

Seyfried will next star in the upcoming movie The Housemaid — the film adaptation of Frieda McFadden's novel— alongside Sydney Sweeney, in addition to Long Bright River, a TV show debuting in 2025.

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Horses, chickens, cats, goats, donkeys, ducks and the actresses' 15-year-old dog Finn all call the farm home. She admits taking care of the animals is a "learning curve" but "exhilarating."

Country life has also provided opportunities to teach her children valuable lessons, she says. Nina, 7, and Thomas, 4, are learning the benefits of small, local farms and how to grow their own produce, as well as eating mindfully and showing animals respect and kindness.

“I can see them learning what a responsibility and treat it is to care for pets, even at their young ages,” Seyfried says.