Amanda Seyfried relied on Travis Kelce's beau Taylor Swift’s music to unwind during intense filming of Long Bright River

Amanda Seyfried is well aware of how emotionally draining some roles can be. The Mean Girls actress, 38, recently opened up about how she used Taylor Swift's music as a means to unwind while shooting her new project, Long Bright River. The new Peacock crime drama, based on Liz Moore's bestselling novel, explores dark subjects like addiction, police corruption, and family trauma—making it an emotionally draining experience for Seyfried.

A role that took an emotional toll on Amanda Seyfried

In Long Bright River, Amanda Seyfried stars as Mickey Fitzpatrick, a Philadelphia detective working on a series of killings of sex workers. As she investigates the case, she's also frantically trying to find her missing sister, Casey (Ashleigh Cummings), who is addicted and homeless. The role needed Seyfried to draw on inner reservoirs of emotion, playing a character with professional and personal demons to boot.


Since the material was dark, it was imperative that the actress learned ways of escaping the intensity when production closed up each day. Seyfried said she utilized a combination of humor, banter with cast members, and, of course, belting Taylor Swift songs.

Taylor Swift became the ultimate stress reliever for Amanda Seyfried

Music has always been a powerful tool for relaxation, and for Seyfried, Taylor Swift’s discography provided the perfect escape from the weighty material of the show.

“My assistant and I would drive to work together and drive home together,” she shared. “I think we kind of laughed a lot and gossiped a lot to and from work. So when the hard shit happened, when I was playing all that emotional stuff, we just wouldn’t take it back in the car with us, subconsciously.”

But on the toughest days, she needed an extra boost. “We would listen to Taylor Swift really loud some days because the commute is sometimes 90 minutes,” she revealed.


Albums such as Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department became her soundtrack of choice for shedding the emotional baggage of her character. Swift's music, with its introspective lyrics and catchy melodies, was the perfect combination of comfort and catharsis after long days on set.

Actors will often create personal rituals to assist in separating their character from reality when they are doing a highly emotional film. Seyfried's approach highlights the significance of self-care in the entertainment industry—finding pleasure and escapism in music, laughter, and common moments.

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With Long Bright River set to be a gripping and emotional drama, it’s clear that Seyfried’s dedication to the role required balance. And what better way to decompress than with a Taylor Swift jam session?

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