Amanda Seyfried knows who she hopes is Sophie's dad in Mamma Mia!

Publish date: 2024-03-15

We have just one question for Amanda Seyfried — does your mother know?

The actress, who starred as Sophie in two Mamma Mia! films, revealed to Vanity Fair that she has her own personal pick for who she hopes is actually Sophie's dad (Donna's love for Sam not withstanding).

The 2008 film, based on the stage musical of the same name, features the music of ABBA. It tells the story of Sophie (Seyfried), who invites three men who once romanced her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep), to her wedding. Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Harry (Colin Firth), and Bill (Stellan Skarsgård) all attend, slowly realizing they've been invited because each of them could potentially be Sophie's father.

For Seyfried, it was her first time carrying a major leading role in a film. But her preference for Sophie's dad isn't out of favoritism toward any of the three actors, but rather the lingering impact of an acting choice that occurs in the midst of "Voulez-Vous" as each of the men finally realize what's going on.

They each have their lightbulb moment, but in Seyfried's mind, Bill gets the best one. "It's one of the purest moments in the movie because there's a lot of pride in Stellan, but also a lot of shock and fear," Seyfried explained. "Just full acceptance in a small amount of time. It's a full circle moment. It's beautiful. Comedically he's also very skilled, and because of this moment I always secretly hoped it was Stellan that was really her father. I'm sorry, Bill."

She also finds a bit of poetic justice in it being Bill because of his own narrative. "He was the person who seemed the least likely to want to have kids," she said. "From realization to acceptance, there is a scene that was cut of a song called 'Name of the Game,' and we sing it together, and I'm begging him, 'What's the name of the game?' We had a lot of fun. We got really tight."

Still, there is no revelation of paternity that's canon. Instead, the three potential dads decide to share their love for Sophie and all treat her as their own.

While it might be easy for Seyfried to choose her pick for Sophie's dad, filming the number where it all goes down was anything but. "You're having this crazy, insane, torturous struggle with this girl and with her mother and all these men being like, 'I'm your father,'" she recounted. "It's such a genius move to have it be during this crazy dance to 'Voulez-vous.' It was a struggle for me. There was too much choreography in and out. It's dizzying. Poor Sophie."

But all of that does not answer our most burning Mamma Mia! question — will there be a third film? Many of the cast have said they'd be willing to return to the world of ABBA and Greece, and Seyfried hasn't abandoned her musical leanings. She's currently workshopping a musical rendition of Thelma and Louise.

All we know is that if it does happen, how can we resist it?

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