She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My Children. She also had a recurring role in the UPN TV show Veronica Mars (2004-2006). Her mother, Ann (née Sander), is an occupational therapist, and her father, Jack, is a pharmacist. Seyfried took voice lessons, studied opera, and trained with a Broadway coach while still a teen. She began acting as an uncredited extra in the daytime drama television series Guiding Light.
