Things You Never Knew About Mandy Moore
If you grew up in the early 2000s, you probably remember Mandy Moore as the ultimate Hollywood sweetheart. After skyrocketing to fame with pop singles like "Candy," Moore became a screen star, starring in classics like "A Walk to Remember," "The Princess Diaries," and "Chasing Liberty." Since then, her career has continued to flourish — she's starred in rom-coms like "License to Wed," "American Dreamz," and "Because I Said So," and she even played the voice of Rapunzel in Disney's "Tangled" (per IMDb).
As Moore has gotten older, her career has shifted. From 2016 to 2022, she took on a more dramatic role in "This Is Us," in which she played a woman with Alzheimer's disease. The role even earned Moore an Emmy nomination. In 2020, she returned to the music world with her sixth studio album, "Silver Landings," which showed her more mature, thoughtful side. It's clear that Moore has truly grown up in the spotlight — but there's still a lot about the actress and singer that may surprise you. Here are some things about Mandy Moore you probably never knew.
The singer once toured with N'Sync and The Backstreet Boys
Mandy Moore was one of the it-girls in pop music back in the early 2000s, so you probably won't be too surprised to learn she did her fair share of big concerts when she started out. But, you may not remember that, in her early years, she actually went on tour with both N'Sync and The Backstreet Boys. Talk about pop royalty!
As Moore recalled to James Corden, it was a somewhat surreal experience. "I was 15 when I started singing, and I went from watching them on MTV as I would get ready for school in the morning to six months later I was on the road with N'Sync," she explained. Apparently, she set off on tour right after filming her very first music video.
While Moore didn't interact with the boy bands very often, she did get to meet Justin Timberlake, who once made a comment about how big her feet were for a girl — which, obviously, was a pretty embarrassing moment for the young Moore. "I mean, sixteen years later it's stuck with me," she laughed. That was one comment Moore will never forget! Hey, we don't think we'd forget anything Justin Timberlake would tell us either.
Mandy Moore seemingly became a star overnight
Becoming a teen pop star at 15, Mandy Moore caught the performing bug early. Moore, whose real name is Amanda Leigh, was raised in Florida. She fell in love with theater when she was just 6 years old when she saw a production of "Guys and Dolls" (via New York Magazine). Moore's love of theater made her realize she wanted to sing professionally. Things were set in motion when she saw a young girl singing the National Anthem at a basketball game when she was around 12. "I was, like, I had no idea that people my age could do that," Moore told Jimmy Fallon. "So, I submitted an audition tape and with that my mom brought a plate of cookies and I think that's what sealed the deal for me."
Moore got the job and started singing at basketball games — and soon, other sports games, too. "I sang for the Orlando Magic and then I kind of became the National Anthem girl around town," she recalled to Fallon. Eventually, music producers she met invited her to record some original songs for a demo tape — and the rest is history. As she explained to L'Officiel, "I was a normal theater kid from the suburbs of Orlando who signed a record deal at 14 and then promptly made an album, music video, went on tour with Nsync and BSB, because of an MTV VJ- all in the course of a year."
She was ready to give up on TV roles just before This Is Us
It's safe to say that "This Is Us" has become a career-defining project for Mandy Moore. The role has earned her critical acclaim and a whole new phase in her career. And, as it turns out, the project really has been life-changing for the actress.
As Moore told Today, before she did "This Is Us," she had made three pilot episodes in a row for series that didn't get picked up by any networks. "I was feeling pretty down about myself," she confessed. So, she decided to stop auditioning for new shows. "And then, the script for 'This Is Us,' came along," she recalled. Even though Moore had decided to stop doing pilots, she couldn't resist the script. Luckily, she gave pilot season one more chance and decided to do "This Is Us." It's clear the show gave her one last shot at being on a hit, long-running TV show — thank goodness she trusted her gut!
The star is passionate about self-care
Mandy Moore knows how to take care of herself — and she's been getting better at it over the years. "I've always been fairly good at taking care of myself, but I never took great pains to really listen to what my body needs," she told Allure. These days, Moore has become a pro at listening to what her body tells her. As she put it, "If you're tuned in to your body, it encourages you."
So, how does Moore listen to her body? A big part of it is through meditation, which she discovered in 2019 after a doctor suggested it. "It's the perfect reset," she said. "I take some time either in my trailer at lunch or when I get home from work, and it's really helped me physically and mentally rest and recalibrate." For Moore, meditation and checking in with her body has helped her curb anxiety, balance her time, set good goals, and start each day the right way. Well, we are certainly impressed!
Mandy Moore still has to audition for roles
You may think that someone with the fame and reputation of Mandy Moore wouldn't have to go through the same audition process as other actors. However, it turns out, Moore has to try out for her parts just like most other actors. "No way, I wasn't insulted [I had to audition]," she told Howard Stern when asked about her "This Is Us" audition. "We all still audition — unless you're Meryl Streep! That's part of being an actor." Even after getting the part on "This Is Us," Moore confirmed, she would still never get a part without having to audition.
Of course, Moore wouldn't mind forgoing the audition process. "You're walking into an uncomfortable situation with people you don't know," she said. "You're reading not with another actor, it's usually a casting director." Wow, it sounds like Moore certainly doesn't get any special treatment because of her reputation in the industry.
The actress enjoys changing up her hair for roles
You may have noticed that Mandy Moore has gone through several distinctive looks over the years. In fact, her hairstyle seems to be completely different in every film and TV show she does. It turns out, Moore loves being able to transform for each role.
In 2002, for instance, Moore ditched her famous blonde locks and went brunette for "A Walk to Remember." "That was a huge change for me, and I loved it so much that I kept it for a long time and never really went back," she told PopSugar. Then, she chopped off her long hair for a choppy pixie cut in "How to Deal." As she recalled, this look helped her feel "a little freer, a little lighter." Then, of course, Moore went back to her natural blonde hair for "The Princess Diaries." However, in the film she got to wear hair extensions!
Ultimately, Moore told PopSugar that she's loved all her different looks. "It allowed me to look at my own routine — how I approach beauty and what my definition of beauty and self care is — in a really pared-down way, just because I get to live it up really big at work," she explained.
She had an unhealthy first marriage
In 2009, Mandy Moore married well-known music producer Ryan Adams. Six years later, their marriage ended (via The Sun). Moore has since revealed that the marriage had its fair share of problems. Her marriage was, as Moore put it to Glamour, "Not the smartest decision. I didn't choose the right person." She added that, by the end of the marriage, she was feeling "spiritually and fundamentally stuck." She was, in her words, in a "very unhealthy situation."
In another interview with The New York Times, Moore went into a little more detail about the relationship's problems. Apparently, Adams used music to control her. He even stopped her from working with other people in the industry. And, sometimes, he'd even give her songs to other female singers. Ultimately, Moore realized the relationship was "psychologically abusive." It's clear she absolutely made the right decision to end the marriage when she did.
Mandy Moore had a difficult time getting pregnant
In 2021, Mandy Moore gave birth to her first child, a boy named Gus, with her husband, Taylor Goldsmith (via the Daily Mail). For Moore, this child was a long time coming. In fact, she had spent quite a long time trying to become pregnant. "We did ovulation tests, all that stuff," Moore explained to Romper. Her doctor suggested she may have endometriosis and that there could be something wrong with her uterus. Moore recalled being more than willing to undergo surgery to make pregnancy possible.
However, right before the surgery, she found out she was ovulating. She thought she'd give it one more try, just in case. "And lo and behold..." Moore said. After going through all of these fertility issues, Moore realized how important it is for women to understand their own bodies and seek help when they need it.
When Gus finally arrived, she couldn't have been happier. As she wrote on Instagram at the time, "We were prepared to fall in love in all sorts of brand new ways, but it goes beyond anything we could have ever imagined."
Despite her success, she hasn't always felt comfortable in her own skin
Being a teenager is never easy. It's awkward and, sometimes, downright embarrassing. It turns out, even Mandy Moore went through some awkward years as a teen. "When I was 12 or 13, I grew four inches over the summer, and I developed terrible posture because I was taller than all the guys and uncomfortable in my skin," she explained to Shape.
Over the years, Moore has learned to embrace and accept her height. "As I get older, I'm learning what it takes to love myself fully through exercise, healthy eating, and monitoring my inner voice in an effort to keep it positive," she told Shape. She's even found the confidence to wear heels and tower over some of the men in her life. As she put it, "I've come to love my height." It seems like Moore really is the perfect inspiration for tall — and all — girls everywhere.
In hindsight, Mandy Moore doesn't miss her 20s
Many people believe that our 20s are the best years of our lives. However, for Mandy Moore, this couldn't be further from the truth. Despite all of her fame and success in her 20s, Moore now realizes that things have only gotten better in her 30s. "You couldn't pay me money to go back to the last decade of my life. The 20s were the worst!" she told Parade in 2020 when she was 36. For Moore, getting older meant gaining "wisdom and clarity" — and, as she put it, "giving less of a you-know-what."
Moore went into a bit more detail in a 2019 interview with People. She explained that, in her 20s, she experienced the "bouts of self-doubts and self-criticism" that we all go through when we're young but that, in her 30s, she's learned to be kinder to herself. We are so proud of how far she's come!
However, she did miss singing after giving it up for acting
Even though Mandy Moore didn't always feel great in her 20s, there was one thing about the decade she loved: singing. Between 2009 and 2020, Moore turned her focus from music to acting. And, while she did land an amazing role in "This Is Us," she missed singing. "I'm incredibly lucky to be part of a show and experience like 'This Is Us,'" she told NPR. "But there is a vulnerability in being able to express yourself as an artist with your music and your own words; you're not necessarily hiding behind a character, per se."
For Moore, singing had always been a big part of her identity, so it's easy to see why she would miss it so much. In 2020, she released her album "Silver Landings." "Now I feel like this fully realized version of myself, making music again," she told NPR.
This is Us inspired her to raise awareness for brain health
In "This Is Us," Mandy Moore played a woman with Alzheimer's. Though she didn't know much about the disease before beginning the show since no one in her family ever had the disease, Moore soon realized how devastating and scary Alzheimer's can be. After learning just how widespread it is in America, she "couldn't believe [her family] had escaped having this personal connection," as she told Brain and Life.
In fact, Moore was so deeply affected by what she learned that she decided to become an advocate for the Be Brain Powerful campaign to encourage people to take care of their brain health. As Moore put it, "Being part of a show like 'This Is Us' that has such mainstream appeal and a fervent audience gives us the opportunity to use our platform as a megaphone, to talk about early detection and diagnosis and treatment and research for Alzheimer's disease." It's certainly an amazing way for Moore to honor the show and the community of people with Alzheimer's after the end of "This Is Us."
She once had her own clothing line
We all know that Mandy Moore is a talented actress and singer — but did you know that she's also dabbled in the fashion industry, too? Back in 2005, Moore launched a clothing line known as Mblem. The line shut down four years later in 2009. Mblem was a partnership with The Loft Entertainment's Kristi Kaylor that initially focused on knitwear, then expanded to dresses, tunics, and tops. You may even remember seeing the line in department stores like Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, or Macy's (via The Loft Entertainment).
As she told WWD when the line was discontinued, "I love the fashion world. I'm fascinated by it. I'm humbled by it." Moore added that she might one day be interested in creating another line, but that it would "have to be the right situation" and the right partnership (via People). So, who knows, maybe we'll get to see more fashion from her one day!
The star had a ton of goals at 19
Most of us probably remember being uncertain about what we wanted to do when we were teenagers. For Mandy Moore, however, she had a number of goals. When she was 19, she spoke to Seventeen Magazine about some of the things she wanted to achieve by the time she was 30 — and she had plenty of surprising goals! In fact, it sounds like Moore was eager to try pretty much everything she could. She wanted to "put a message in a bottle and throw it out to sea, study at a university, get a scuba diving license, go on a safari, get married and have a family" — and so much more.
One of the most surprising goals of hers was to adopt a child. "If you're in a position to be a loving parent, why not?" she said. "I want to have a big family." She also wanted to "go on an archaeological dig" and "ride an elephant." One thing's for sure — Moore had big dreams at 19! Fortunately, she's managed to achieve a whole lot at her age, and hopefully she managed to fulfill some of her initial goals.