Amanda Seyfried finds it "really hard" to juggle work and motherhood

She told Us Weekly magazine: "Honestly, right now, it's really hard.

"This is the most I've ever worked with two kids, and I've never had two movies come out at the same time. And so, I'm a little bit bananas right now."

The Testament of Ann Lee and The Housemaid are hugely different but Amanda is equally proud of both pieces of work.

She said: "Oh, my God, they couldn't be more different. I'm very equally proud of both. I'll be honest, The Housemaid is ... do not read [the book] until you've seen the movie because then it will ruin the twists for you.

"This is exactly what we needed, especially around the holidays. Do you know what I mean?"

Amanda launched her sustainable toy brand Make It Cute with her childhood best friends Maureen North and Anne Hoehn and there's no one else she'd rather work with.

She said: "I mean, they're my mom group. We all had our first kids at the same time and there was that connection too, and we just leaned on each other. ... It was a community I didn't have anywhere else, in that way, that shorthand and the ability to joke about crazy things, and the ability to call in the middle of the night and say, 'I think I'm this many centimetres [dilated]. What do you think? Should I take a bath?'

"It's the most intimate and supportive and comforting little community."

The idea for their company came during Zoom catch-ups during the COVID-19 lockdown.

She said: ""None of us were working, and that standstill afforded this kind of space to explore the needs that we had artistically and creatively, and just as people that are used to producing things.

"We would have wine on Zoom or FaceTime or whatever, and we kind of got to talking about things that we could create in the world. It felt like this perfect opportunity to put our heads together."

The Mamma Mia actress can "go a little bit black" when she has filming commitments but she tries to be with her old friends as much as possible.

She said: "We did a bunch of trips this year together, which is always fun, because we have girls' night out, and it's necessary when you have two kids each.

"It's been really fun, actually, because there's always something [planned].

"It's so nice to have those relationships. We've been through adolescence [together] and to still be friends with them? They've seen [me] at, you know, really insane, chaotic times."