Amanda Seyfried has performed a short cover of Joni Mitchell‘s iconic 1971 tune ‘California’ on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – check it out below.
- READ MORE: Joni Mitchell’s ‘Court And Spark’ at 50: “She’s everyone in my generation’s cool aunt”
Appearing on a recent episode of The Tonight Show, to promote her upcoming TV show Long Bright River, Seyfried and Fallon kicked off their conversation talking about her musical talents – including her performances in musical films like Mamma Mia! and Les Misérables.
When asked about her musical talents, Seyfried revealed that she learned how to play the dulcimer during the COVID-19 pandemic. After Fallon brandished a dulcimer, Seyfried shared that she would like to play ‘California’ off Joni Mitchell’s beloved ‘Blue’ album.
“She wrote a lot of the songs from the Blue album on the dulcimer, and I learned a lot of stuff from [that] album when the world stopped,” Seyfried said before launching into a performance of the first verse and chorus of ‘California’.
Check out her cover below.
After the episode aired and a snippet of the performance was shared on social media, throngs of viewers expressed their amazement at her performance and have since begun championing her to play Mitchell in a biopic.
Among several of her backers – see in the comments section of the Instagram post below – are Jameela Jamil, Regina Spektor, Gwen Stefani, Maya Hawke, Ryan Tedder, Charlie Puth, Matt Bomer, Sheryl Crow, Aaron Paul and Kate Hudson. Jamill wrote: “GET. THAT. BIOPIC. GIRL.”
Other commenters backed her sentiments, writing: “Omg. THIS is what her voice is made for. Would love to see her play a young Joni Mitchell”, “she is gunning for that biopic and i’m for it” and “Joni I think we found a contender for your biopic!”.
Check out more comments and reactions below.
Amanda Seyfried. Joni Mitchell. Biopic. Now. https://t.co/ll0XcILD82
— Gibson Johns (@gibsonoma) March 5, 2025
we don’t need mamma mia 3, we need meryl and amanda to star in joni mitchell biopic together. https://t.co/musqHrakiu
— s. (@Jezurka42) March 5, 2025
Stunning. Hollywood, we’re gonna need that Joni Mitchell biopic starring @AmandaSeyfried, stat. https://t.co/DjzgGkajGm
— Dustin Putman (@DustinPutman) March 5, 2025
As it turns out, a Joni Mitchell biopic is currently in the works from Almost Famous director Cameron Crowe. The project as first revealed in 2023, though a cast has yet to be announced.
The film had been in development for several years by that point, with the two of them working together for at least two years. Last October, the director gave an optimistic update on the project’s status, saying he hopes to have it completed by Christmas 2025.
Before then, it was reported that Meryl Streep – a close friend of Mitchell – was in talks to portray an older version of the singer-songwriter in the biopic, although neither Crowe, Streep or Mitchell have confirmed the casting.
