The star-studded cast of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy almost featured a different famous face.
Amanda Seyfried opened up about why she turned down the role of Gamora in the Marvel film franchise on the Thursday, March 20, episode of the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, admitting she viewed the original 2014 movie as a risk at the time she was offered the part.
“Being a part of the first Marvel movie that bombs ain’t good for your career,” she shared. “I thought that because this was about a talking tree and a talking raccoon that it was gonna be Marvel’s first bomb and that Chris Pratt and I would never work again. I was wrong.”
Despite declining the offer, Seyfried has nothing but love for the film’s director, James Gunn. “[He’s] a genius and he’s fun and he’s a wonderful filmmaker, and he can make anything work,” she told podcast host Josh Horowitz. “But I was way too scared. I was at a precarious moment in my career, and I didn’t want to suffer for the work.”
For Seyfried, a large part of what turned her away from the role was the intense makeup process for playing a green alien. “I was really scared of the idea of being stuck and painted a different color because of the amount of time that the X-Men people had been, ‘cause I was working out with the same trainer that trained a bunch of people who were doing X-Men,” she said.
In addition to not wanting to live and shoot in London “for six months out of the year,” Seyfried had another project lined up that she was more interested in doing. “There was another movie that I really wanted to do with Seth MacFarlane called A Million Ways to Die in the West,” she revealed. “It felt like a really good opportunity.”
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
At the end of the day, Seyfried said movies that require heavy makeup and lots of special effects just aren’t for her. “I had done some green screen stuff, and it wasn’t my cup of tea, and I don’t regret any decision that I made,” she stated. “I made it for myself in the moment that I made it. It was good for me then, and it’s good for me now.”
Reflecting on the Marvel offer, Seyfried thinks everything worked out just as it should have, explaining: “I also think that Zoe [Saldaña] and Chris and everybody who’s a part of that movie are having the best time and it worked for them, and I love that. And I love that I was able to stay with my gut.”
The role of Gamora ultimately went to Saldaña, 46, and the movie was a massive success, earning over $772 million at the worldwide box office. The recent Oscar winner portrayed the anti-hero daughter of Thanos in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, 2017’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame and 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Saldaña has since confirmed she will not reprise her Guardians role in any upcoming Marvel projects. However, she has hopes that the character will return in a new capacity thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s expanding multiverse.
“I keep saying this time and time again — I can’t wait to see what’s next for Gamora,” Saldaña shared with Variety last month. “I hope they’re not done with her, and I hope a woman of color or a woman with special needs can take on the role next. That would be incredible.”