Mandy Moore Takes Us Back Through Her Career: Regrettable Y2K Looks, Bonding With Shane West, More

Mandy Moore went from a Y2K pop star to an Emmy nominee after bursting onto the entertainment scene in 1999 — and she’s loved every minute of the journey.

Moore, 40, became a household name after the success of her debut single, “Candy,” which she exclusively reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly “shaped everything” about her career. "It opened so many doors for me to try my hand at acting and get me to this point."

Moore notes that with her success in the early aughts came a lot of fun and a few questionable fashion choices. Case and point: her 2000 VMAs look, which she says would be a “hard pass” now.

Following her foray into music, Moore shifted her focus to acting. Thanks to A Walk to Remember — which also starred Shane West — she became a superstar overnight. Looking back, Moore tells Us she couldn’t have handled that fame without having West as her “caretaker” on set.

Mandy Moore Through the Years: From Teenage Pop Star to Emmy Nominee

Her career success, however, is not match for her life as a wife to Taylor Goldsmith and mother to their two sons, Gus, 3, and Ozzie, 21 months. (The couple is currently expecting baby No. 3, a girl.)

“Your life just becomes Technicolor after being black and white before [kids],” Moore says. “It’s the best — I love it.”

After two decades in Hollywood, Moore is taking Us down memory lane below — and gives Us an inside look at some of her most iconic memories:

Candy Crush

“All of it was so new to me,” Moore tells Us of filming her first music video in 1999. “I remember being so excited to go through the hair, makeup and wardrobe process. I’d never been in glam before.”

“Candy” turns 25 on August 17, which is wild for Moore. “I almost feel like it happened to someone else, like I’m recalling a movie I watched,” she explains.

Looking back, the musician says she loved getting to “fake-drive” a car and have a romantic interest. Moore admits her “Psyc” CD player strapped to her waist “made absolutely no sense.”

When it comes to the future of her music career, Moore teases, “This summer is devoted to figuring out [my] next musical steps,” so stay tuned.

Not-So Glam Moment

Moore admits she’d rather forget her first MTV Video Music Awards red carpet because of her gold, fluffy top and white denim outfit. “I would definitely not wear this today,” she says, noting that she was just 16 when she walked the carpet.

The upside was Moore was in good company, with A-listers like Britney Spears attending the same event. “It was early days [of my career] and at Radio City Music Hall,” she recalls of the awards show. “Look at that smile. I was radiating excitement to be there.”

A Princess and Her Rival

While Moore played high school mean girl Lana Thomas in 2001’s The Princess Diaries — and tormented Anne Hathaway’s Mia Thermopolis — the women had fun at their movie premiere. “Anne Hathaway looks like a movie star, and I’m in some weird, acid-washed denim suit,” Moore observes of the pair’s fashion clash. “We look like we’re going to very different events.”

Even with the return of the low-rise jean trend, Moore tells Us she’s not a fan. “Definitely not my cup of tea,” she adds.

A Costar to Remember

Moore was just 17 when she portrayed Jamie Sullivan in A Walk to Remember. “That little girl had no idea what she was doing,” Moore confesses, staring at still from the film. Although Moore was a fish out of water on set, she instantly bonded with West, who played Landon Carter.

“I leaned on him to show me how to film a movie and what being on a set was like,” she recalls, confirming that they’re still close. “I love him deeply.”

Match Made in Music Heaven

After Moore Instagrammed that she was a fan of Goldsmith’s band, Dawes, the two met up in person and fell fast. “We met at a sushi restaurant and had one of those epic four-hour meals where, like, the restaurant closes around you, and that was it,” she says of the 2015 date. “I knew very quickly that he was The One.” (Moore and Goldsmith tied the knot in 2018.)

This Was Always Us

Playing Rebecca Pearson on This Is Us was one of the easiest decisions Moore ever made. She recalls shooting her pilot scenes alongside Milo Ventimiglia “before anyone else,” and knowing it would be a hit.

“I remember loving the script so much and being hopeful the show would move forward,” Moore tells Us. The actress played the matriarch from 2016 to 2022, earning her first Emmy nomination in 2019.

For more on Moore’s career evolution, pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly on newsstands now.