Rachel Brosnahan Gets Amanda Seyfried Ready for Superman Summer

Rachel Brosnahan was in the bathroom at Aritzia when the call came: She’d been tapped to play Lois Lane in Superman, James Gunn’s new take on the OG superhero. The 34-year-old actor is best known for her Emmy-winning turn as the title character in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel—but if Superman soars at the box office, that could all change. As she tells her friend Amanda Seyfried: no pressure at all.

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MONDAY 8 PM APRIL 21, 2025 NYC

AMANDA SEYFRIED: Hi!

RACHEL BROSNAHAN: Hi!

SEYFRIED: First of all, is the Superman stuff going okay?

BROSNAHAN: Well, we’re just getting started, but it’s been amazing. I know that sounds like such a canned answer, but I’ve never done something that has a baked-in fan base already. Have you?

SEYFRIED: Oh, no.

BROSNAHAN: You’ve done all of it. Mamma Mia! Mean Girls.

SEYFRIED: No, no, no. I’m pretty sure you’re much younger than me, but I do wonder if you watched Lois & Clark.

BROSNAHAN: I did not.

SEYFRIED: Because I definitely did. He’s the only superhero I feel like I can relate to. He feels like an everyman. Did you find that?

BROSNAHAN: Totally. But he’s also an outsider. He loves people, but he’s an alien. He’s trying to fit in and walk among people and wants to be like them, but he also knows that he’ll never be quite like them, and that can be isolating. I feel like that’s part of why so many people see themselves in him.

SEYFRIED: Aren’t we born feeling like outsiders?

BROSNAHAN: I feel like we all have a little bit of that dueling identity.

SEYFRIED: And as we grow up, we’re like, “How about I put on this mask today? How are people going to respond to the way I do this or the way I say this?”

BROSNAHAN: I’ve spent so much time thinking about this, and I don’t know that I came in with an answer about why Superman has endured. People have such strong feelings about him and the world and whoever’s in charge of it. It’s cool to be a part of something that people are so passionate about. It’s definitely intimidating, too.

SEYFRIED: That’s what I was going to ask.

BROSNAHAN: You guys must’ve dealt with this with Mamma Mia! and Les Mis, no?

SEYFRIED: I don’t think I was that conscious of that part of it. I was too excited to have the job because I just loved singing. Nowadays, I would understand the pressure. When did you know you were going to play Lois Lane? How long did you have between knowing and then walking on set?

BROSNAHAN: The process was that we all put ourselves on tape, and then we tested. We had this big chemistry read out in L.A. where six of us went and—

SEYFRIED: Oh my god. My asshole just tightened so much because that’s—

BROSNAHAN: Sphincter gripping.

SEYFRIED: Rough.

BROSNAHAN: At the risk of sounding like a total nerd—maybe it’s a post-COVID thing—but it was kind of amazing because we don’t get to do that in-person thing anymore.

SEYFRIED: That’s true.

BROSNAHAN: Maybe I feel like I’ve been doing this long enough that now I’m like, it’s either yours or it’s not yours. You’re not actually in competition with anyone else. You can prep all you want, but you have to have that thing that nobody can put their finger on. David [Corenswet, who plays Superman] and I only read together once, which was wild. But that was in the spring of 2023.

SEYFRIED: Oh my god.

BROSNAHAN: And then I found out—sometime late spring, maybe early summer.

SEYFRIED: Did James Gunn call to tell you that he was hiring you?

BROSNAHAN: He did. I was in an Aritzia bathroom in SoHo looking at my phone and it said: “Maybe: James Gunn.”

SEYFRIED: Wait, Aritzia? Do you also have to poop when you go shopping?

BROSNAHAN: Every time. Without fail. [Laughs]

SEYFRIED: What is it about capitalism?

BROSNAHAN: How much time do you have, Amanda?

SEYFRIED: It’s a laxative, isn’t it? Okay. Maybe James Gunn’s calling you in the bathroom.

BROSNAHAN: Maybe James Gunn is calling me. I’m trying to get out of there before he realizes that I’m in a bathroom, but I’m not about to miss this call. I answered and he said, “How would you like to be Lois Lane?”

SEYFRIED: See, this is why we do what we do. We work really hard, and then the payoff? To have that call.

BROSNAHAN: Well, those are the ones that are worth it. The ones where you’re like, “I have no idea if it’s me, but I want it so badly and I hate that I want it.” Waiting never gets easier. But that was a good call.

SEYFRIED: Did you guys shoot it in New York?

BROSNAHAN: We did the glamour tour of the U.S.A. We shot in Atlanta, in Macon, in Cleveland.

SEYFRIED: Ohio?

BROSNAHAN: Ohio. Cleveland’s amazing, actually.

SEYFRIED: Cleveland is known for being an incredibly welcoming city. I know a lot of people who would live there in a heartbeat. Did you ever have days where you were just doing character stuff, or did you always have an aspect of VFX or stunts or wires?

BROSNAHAN: I got really lucky because my first couple days, we were shooting the 10-page scene that David and I had tested with. It felt like we could have been shooting an indie movie in a basement somewhere, which was amazing because we got to really discover these characters.

SEYFRIED: I wonder if that was on purpose?

BROSNAHAN: I think so. We made out for a couple of hours and then we shot a 10-page-long scene.

SEYFRIED: Our lives are so strange.

BROSNAHAN: That’ll jump you in really fast and build a really quick foundation. [Laughs]

SEYFRIED: Honestly, whatever it takes. I’m asking all this not knowing what the specific story is in this movie. Nicholas Hoult is playing Lex Luthor.

BROSNAHAN: Yeah.

SEYFRIED: I love it. Just give it to me.

BROSNAHAN: Nick is making bald men hot again.

SEYFRIED: I’ve always thought bald men were hot. Am I the only one? I’m like, “You know what you should do? Shave your head.” That’s always my advice to friends of mine.

BROSNAHAN: Really?

SEYFRIED: Yeah. It’s weird.

BROSNAHAN: How many friends have you encouraged to shave their head?

SEYFRIED: At least three. Popular actors.

BROSNAHAN: Do they listen?

SEYFRIED: No, because men seem to really love their hair. I don’t get it. I’m kidding.

BROSNAHAN: Corey Stoll’s been out here rocking the shave for a long time.

SEYFRIED: There’s everything right with that.

BROSNAHAN: You have to have a good shaved head, and Nick has a great shaved head for this.

SEYFRIED: He did shave it?

BROSNAHAN: He did. And he was a monster.

SEYFRIED: I believe it. So what’s the plan? When do you have to start unveiling it to the world? This magazine is coming out in the summer. I love this magazine. Did you do your shoot?

BROSNAHAN: I love that you know more about this than I do. I didn’t know when it was coming out, so thanks.

SEYFRIED: It’s the summer and I think it’s right when the movie comes out. Is this a July movie?

BROSNAHAN: July 11.

SEYFRIED: It’s like Barbenheimer, but this year it’s going to be like—what else is coming out?

BROSNAHAN: We have Jurassic Park [Jurassic World Rebirth], Superman, and Fantastic Four. What’s our Barbenheimer between Fantastic Four, Jurassic Park, and Superman? The people need you. Supertastic Park?

SEYFRIED: It’s Fantastic Super-park. It’s Four Superparks. Four Dinosaurs. Four Super Dinosaurs. I don’t know! I will say, there’s a little bit of fatigue with sequels. I want original content. I think it’s really scary and brave to do it. It’s not scary and not very brave to do sequels. It’s just for money and it’s frustrating. Then again, I’d do Mamma Mia! 3 in a heartbeat.

BROSNAHAN: I know. [Laughs]

SEYFRIED: You’d do it again, right?

BROSNAHAN: Yeah, I’d come back. We had a great time. There’s also so many people in this cast who I didn’t get to work with.

SEYFRIED: Does James Gunn do a lot of takes?

BROSNAHAN: No, he moves really quickly. I feel like there was a real bait-and-switch. The first two days, we shot this one scene. We got to try it 9,000 different ways. And then we started doing stunts, and it was like—

SEYFRIED: He’s like, “Just kidding. We’re going to put this green screen behind you and you’re going to fly.” Were you on wires a lot?

BROSNAHAN: Less than some. But I got to do a different thing, which I’m not really allowed to talk about, that didn’t involve wires but felt like maybe it should have. It was nuts. [Laughs]

SEYFRIED: Were you scared at any point?

BROSNAHAN: No. This stunt team is the best in the world. No matter how high up you get pulled or what ceiling you’re hanging from, you’re in good hands. I have some really cute videos of David and I doing air ballet hanging from the ceiling that, once we actually release, I’ll post.

SEYFRIED: What? I don’t think I’m cut out for this stuff. I really don’t.

BROSNAHAN: You have done it, though? Forgive me. I don’t know.

SEYFRIED: No. Not really. And every time I did, I hated it.

BROSNAHAN: I shot a scene with the dog, Krypto.

SEYFRIED: Yes. Can’t wait.

BROSNAHAN: He’s so cute, but at least in my scene, there were limitations with the set that meant I couldn’t shoot with the stand-in. There was a stand-in dog, but sometimes there was also a person in a CGI suit who played the dog, and then sometimes there was nothing, so I’ve never felt like a worse actor in my entire life.

SEYFRIED: You were probably great. I did Ted 2 and I just talked to a tennis ball.

BROSNAHAN: I would’ve loved a tennis ball.

SEYFRIED: You didn’t get a tennis ball?

BROSNAHAN: There was nothing there. James was on the god mic somewhere far away, going, “No. Rachel, you put your hand through the dog. Stop putting your hand through the dog.” [Laughs]

SEYFRIED: You really have to know what’s in front of you without anything being in front of you. It’s like when my daughter’s like, “My invisible friend’s over there,” and I’m like, “Hi.” It’s really hard. We have our limits. I know this is maybe boring for people, but did you do a table read?

BROSNAHAN: We did do a table read.

SEYFRIED: And?

BROSNAHAN: It was amazing. Everyone was there. I think they filmed some of it. They took a lot of pictures. When we first got these jobs, we got to read the script once, on one device. So to hear it out loud got us all really excited.

SEYFRIED: That’s really cool. Is David American?

BROSNAHAN: Yeah, he’s from Philly. Fellow Midwesterner.

SEYFRIED: I mean, ish.

BROSNAHAN: Kind of.

SEYFRIED: That’s probably why you guys got along so well, because you’re from similar places and you’re both so happy to be involved. That’s the thing about these movies: You can feel it when people are doing it with passion and grace and curiosity.

BROSNAHAN: I don’t know why people say yes only to then turn around and complain about it. Look, I don’t want to shit on other actors, but there was a minute where it was cool to not like superhero movies and to look back on projects like this and pooh-pooh them. Do it or don’t do it, and then stand by it.

SEYFRIED: I honestly don’t think you should call it a superhero movie ever again, because it isn’t just that, and I think people are going to see that. It’s really important to have this kind superhero, this guy who’s just trying to do his best.

BROSNAHAN: The cool thing about it is that it’s what you expect, and then there’s more. Of course, there’s great fighting and stunts and big monsters and good and evil.

SEYFRIED: Wait, can I take my 8-year-old or no? Because she just saw Mrs. Doubtfire and it scarred her.

BROSNAHAN: [Laughs] What scarred her about Mrs. Doubtfire?

SEYFRIED: The divorce and the court and the parents fighting.

BROSNAHAN: I actually think she can see this.

SEYFRIED: It’s Superman summer, baby.

BROSNAHAN: You gave it a great name. Somebody’s gotta do it. Okay, I want to turn the tables now. I don’t know if you’re tired of talking about Mean Girls, but—

SEYFRIED: Never.

BROSNAHAN: What does it feel like to have made that kind of cultural impact? Is that what people talk to you about the most?

SEYFRIED: Yes. We went so far as to do a Walmart commercial just to hang out together.

BROSNAHAN: What?

SEYFRIED: It was a Black Friday thing last year. I love everything about it. Listen, I was 17. When was your first job?

BROSNAHAN: I was also 17 when I did my first job, but it wasn’t Mean Girls. [Laughs] My mom was on set with me.

SEYFRIED: Same! I was not emancipated. I graduated from high school and didn’t turn 18 until that December. I had to have my mom come to Toronto with me. There were no expectations. Zero. I’m trying to teach my kids how to have very low expectations in a healthy way, and I don’t know how to do it yet. If you have zero expectations in life, it’s going to go great. But that’s not what you’re supposed to teach now.

BROSNAHAN: It’s the journey. Being present and not being so focused on what the outcome is that you can’t be present for it—in the great, in the ugly, everything in between.

SEYFRIED: If we’re working on something that matters to us and we have ways of surviving the things that bring us down, then we have something to show for it. What if everything we did in the last year just doesn’t hit? Nobody watched it. Is that going to shape the experience we had? Not even a fucking tiny bit. That’s the win, I guess.

BROSNAHAN: I’m asking my last question. Do you have any advice for me?

SEYFRIED: What? Me?

BROSNAHAN: Give me advice. Give me pizza.

SEYFRIED: Get chickens. That’s my advice to everybody. Everybody’s like, “Should I get chickens?” And I’m like, “Yes, you should get chickens.”

BROSNAHAN: I’m doing it. Done.

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Hair: Edward Lampley using Oribe at CLM.

Makeup: Kuma using Charlotte Tilbury at Streeters.

Nails: Nori using Dior at See Management.

Photography Assistant: Fallou Seck.

Fashion Assistant: Jasmine James.

Production Coordination: Claudia Malpeli.

Post-production: Helen Studios.

Location: Highlight Studios.