Amanda is on the cover of the June issue of Self magazine. We have added one gorgeous outtake from the shoot and the amazing cover to the gallery. You can also view the behind the scenes videos from the shoot under the cut. Hopefully more outtakes from this fabulous shoot will surface soon. Here you can read a bit of the interview from the magazine…

You hear about the pressure in Hollywood to be young and skinny. Do you feel that?
Hell yeah! From myself. When I see a scene in a movie where my belly sticks out, I’m like, that doesn’t look good, I’m not going to do that for the next movie. And then I never get there for the next movie; I still have a pudgy belly. The reality is, I look back and has my body every been that drastically different? No! So what are the chances of my having a six-pack for the next movie? Slim to non. So why live and breathe exercise when I know I’m just going to eat crap? Moderation is key. You can change your body to an extent, but if it’s taking all the time out of your day and taking up all your thoughts, what’s the point? The point is, it should be that important.

What’s the hardest diet you’ve ever tried?
A five-day raw food diet I’ll never do again. I go to this raw foods place everyday, and they do super-cleanses every month for 5 days. I was like, oh, I have to go on a press tour in six days, so I’ll try it! It’s really hard! I’d get really, really tired and hungry at three p.m. everyday because there was nothing to eat. Dinner would be cucumbers and kale and dressing. In the morning, you feel great, you’re doing a liver cleanse and eating raw oatmeal and blueberries and drinking great shakes. But at the end of the day, if you can’t have girl scout cookie and piece of cheese, what is life all about?

So do you just eat whatever you want now?
Yea, I want the raw stuff in the morning. I want the shot of chlorophyll or the ginger lemon drink or the asahi and hemp granola drink. But for lunch, I want a piece of pizza.

What do you do to work out?
Running a half hour four to five days a week keeps me alright–five days, because I feel guilty when I don’t. I also go to Harley Pasternak’s three times a week, and I love it. He’s fun and we do different things every time. It’s 45 minutes, and he kicks my ass! My legs are really strong, and I feel really great. And I go to my pilates teacher, Nikiko, on the weekends–she’s all about stretching and toning and being long and lean.

Did you work out like a maniac for your nude scene last year in Chloe?
No, I was running for a half hour on the treadmill every day but I didn’t have a trainer. I think people like to see a little bit of excess. I think women love that, and I don’t think men care. I feel better when I’m toned and not soft, but it’s hard to get rid of the soft parts. I’ve proven to myself it’s probably never going to go away, but I’m still trying to maintain.

You’ve had such a big year –do you feel like you’ve finally “arrived”?
I’ve been an up-and comer for so long that I do finally feel like I’ve established myself. I don’t quite know where yet, but I do feel like I’ve had enough under my belt for people to be able to trust me. I mean, I’m really insecure! I’ve always been. But at least I feel a little more confident now.

What are you insecure about? Your acting? Your looks?
Both. It’s very hard for me to watch a movie anymore with me in it. I used to not care. But recently I’ve been playing the romantic lead, and in order to be a romantic lead, you’ve kind of got to be pretty in my opinion. Clearly, some people think I can play the attractive girl. That is still a mystery to me. It’s a face thing–I pick apart my face. I guess we’re naturally inclined to want to change things about ourselves, and that gets heightened when I’m watching on a big screen. And it’s OK. Sometimes you wake up and you like it and sometimes you don’t. As comfortable as I am with myself day to day, watching it? It’s just strange.

How do you get over that insecurity?
If we’re so busy trying to change ourselves, especially aesthetically, we’re going to miss out on more important things. I used to live and eat and sleep by an exercise schedule, and I just couldn’t enjoy myself if I didn’t exercise. And then I realized, what a waste of time! Just praying I’d wake up a little fitter, a little more toned. It’s important in the grand scheme of things to keep in shape, but if you’re always worrying about imperfections and how you look, these things aren’t going to change for the most part. The thing you can change is the way you perceive.

What’s the best advice you’d give to a woman struggling to keep a positive body image?
I’d say, it’s not as bad as you think. You are your harshest critic. If you don’t like your body, you can do something about it. It’s in your control and that should be a positive feeling. Put more time into the exercising. You’ll feel better about yourself for actually doing it, not just for how it makes you look. Endorphins are a godsend. And stop looking in the mirror. I try not to look in the mirror very much–you can’t wake up and expect your body to be different than it was last night. You’ve got to realize that you’re living for yourself, not for other people. Nobody’s perfect. Only in Hollywood are people perfect and that’s because they spend thousands of dollars on trainers and diets and surgeries. That’s what we’re made to feel like we’re supposed to look like but if you put it in perspective, there’s nothing realistic about it!

QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW

On accepting her imperfections
“The main thing you can change is how you perceive yourself. Stop looking in the mirror and realize you’re living for yourself, not other people. If we’re so busy trying to change ourselves, especially aesthetically, we’re going to miss out on other, bigger things.”

Her secret to sexy, shiny hair
“That’s easy! Never dye it. My hair is shiny because it is virginal. I dyed it once, but it’s all grown out since then. I also use shampoos that have shea butter and moisturizer in them. Sometimes after i shampoo I comb conditioner through it and put it up in a bun and never rinse it out.” Her shampoo picks: Sally Hershberger, Bumble and Bumble, and Frederic Fekkai.

Why she does not exercise compulsively
“Three times days a week I train with Harley Pasternak, who kicks my ass for 45 minutes. My legs are super stong. I love it! I used to live, eat, and sleep by an exercise schedule and I couldn’t enjoy myself if I didn’t exercise. And then I realized, “What a waste of time!” My soft parts are probably never going away.”

On areas in her own life where she can most use guidance
“I think it’s really just about love. That’s where a lot of my worry and fear comes from. I’ve had long-term relationships and it’s hard to define what they are when they’re over. People have given so much and taught me so much and vice versa, you don’t want them out of your life, so you maintain certain relationships.”

Why she’ll never go raw again
“I just did a five-day raw-food diet, but I’ll never do that again. It’s really hard! I’d wake up in the morning feeling great and go to bed feeling miserable, because dinner would be cucumbers, kale, and dressing. I mean, at the end of the day, if you can’t have a Girl Scout cookie and a piece of cheese, what it life all about?”