Mandy Moore has spent the last 20 years making a serious mark on pop culture. Aside from amazing songs ("When Will My Life Begin" fromTangled? "Candy" from So Real? Bangers.), she has a very impressive filmography with titles like A Walk To Remember, The Princess Diaries, and This Is Us under her belt. But Moore isn't only an actress, she's also a mom — to both humans and cats!
In honor of Purina Cat Chow's 60th Anniversary, we sat down to talk about the role her cats play in her life, and how she juggles work and family while staying creative.
Our Interview With Mandy Moore
Image via Mandy Moore/Purina Cat Chow
B+C: There are so many moments when you're a kid where you dream about owning a pet. When did you realize that you wanted cats?
MM: I grew up with cats [and they've] been a touchstone and a part of my life for as long as I can remember. And I remember the older that I got, being excited about the prospect of like, "When I am really settled and feel grown up enough, I can't wait to get cats again." Our family cats were still with my parents (they were very, very old), but as soon as I could incorporate cat ownership into my life again, as a fairly young adult, I definitely did.
B+C: How have your cats provided emotional support for you?
MM: I feel like cats just, and dogs as well — I have a dog, so not to overshadow him — but I feel like cats just have this intrinsic sense of knowing when you need that extra bit of support. I think living through the last three years plus of the pandemic, and how isolating that was, having that sense of companionship and connectivity with our feline family members was really essential. It was so comforting in a way.
Also for us, we have three rescue cats, Fig, Peanut, and Olivia. To be able to solidify a bond with them during that time, because two of them were still quite young, and it was right before we started our own family, so it was a very special time to have that concentrated amount of time with each other under one roof. I knew, while we were in the midst of it, it was like, "This is probably never going to happen again, so I'm going to really appreciate it and not take it for granted."
B+C: I've always wanted a cat named Gilbert Blythe because Anne of Green Gables is one of my favorite books! How did you pick your cat names?
MM: Well, Fig and Olivia both came with those names. And then Peanut, my husband had a friend who had a cat named Peanut when he was a little younger. He was like, "I just always loved that name. I thought a cat named Peanut was so funny." She's a very, very light peachy shade, she looks like she could be a peanut.
I believe the person that fostered Olivia [chose the name because] Olivia Colman had won the Oscar that year, so that's why she was named Olivia. Fig came to us with that name as well, Figaro.
Staying Creative When Life Is Busy
Image via Mandy Moore/Purina Cat Chow
B+C: Shifting gears a little bit, I would love to hear what has been inspiring you lately. Your output is so consistent and so beautiful — how do you fill your cup?
MM: I feel a little underwater right now, just with two kiddos, but I also am really grateful for this season of life. Definitely, I think all of my energy and inspiration is put towards, and comes from, family. I went back to work relatively quickly with both of the guys. Gus, I was a month postpartum, and Ozzy, I was six weeks. So to have this time together, especially my oldest is a toddler, and he's going to start preschool in the fall, which is wild to even think about, to be able to spend this summer together in this really important chapter is something that I'm trying to stay present about and stay present for...
My husband and I were talking about it yesterday. He's like, "One day, we're going to look back and go like, 'Remember when he didn't go pee in the potty?'" I'm like, "I know. We're going to think back on this time fondly." Right now, we're just like "Ah! When is this gonna end?" So there is inspiration and exhaustion and all the things wrapped up in this moment.
B+C: How has your work as an artist, in all its different forms, enriched your personal life. Do you find decorating or cooking or hosting a form of creativity as well? I feel like those things have to be threaded together.
MM: I feel like, for the sake of my family, I want to get more comfortable [with hosting]. I want to be the house that all the friends come over and are excited to be like, "We're at the Goldsmiths!" That would be a life highlight for me.
I feel like so much of my life informs both sides. I think the creative informs the personal. The personal informs the creative. I'm able to take all of it and use all of the colors, and throw it at the wall in any given situation, which I feel really lucky about. It's very cathartic. I'm able to take whatever is ailing me or overwhelming me in one aspect of my life, and I get to bring it to my work and vice versa.
I hope that all of that makes me a better artist and a better parent. I don't know. I feel like some of the time I'm really just faking it, but here we go. You just show up every day, and you try your level best, and you put one foot in front of the other and recognize that perfection is a construct. I don't know. I'm just going to keep showing up for myself and everybody else.
Rapid Fire With Mandy Moore
Image via Frazer Harrison / Staff / Getty Images Entertainment
B+C: What is your favorite way to spend a Saturday morning?
MM: Favorite way, Saturday morning. Probably waking up, having coffee. Breakfast with the family. Going to the park. Maybe going to the market. I oddly love grocery shopping with them. Then maybe a little bit of a pool hang before lunch and nap time.
B+C: What is your go-to dish that you're loving to make right now?
MM: You're really counting that I have any skills whatsoever in the kitchen! Honestly, grilling some chicken or fish and throwing it in a rice bowl is all I have the energy for at this point. Once you've gotten through making meals for the family, whatever's left over, I'll just scrape together in a bowl. I'm happy to have just a bite to eat before I go to bed.
B+C: Yes. I make my fair share of stove top mac and cheese.
MM: Yeah, right? Whatever gets gets the job done.
B+C: What song is on repeat for you right now?
MM: Right now, again, sorry, I've just been in mom mode. We listen to a lot of "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon. Gus loves that song. It's the first song that he asks for pretty much every time we get in the car.
B+C: Are you reading anything fun?
MM: I'm not reading anything right now. I need to find a TV show. I need to find a good book too. I just finished that book Yellowface, and I really liked that. But I need a good summer read that I can fly through. I'm open to recommendations.
B+C: I'm in the middle of Romantic Comedy [by Curtis Sittenfeld] right now, and I'm loving that!
MM: Wait. I just bought that! I haven't started it yet, is it great?
B+C: I really enjoy it.
MM: Okay, great. That's going to be my next book. I have a bunch of books sitting on my bedside table, but that's on top. I'm going to start that tonight.
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Lead image via Frazer Harrison / Staff / Getty Images Entertainment
This interview has been edited for clarity.
