James Gunn managed to turn Guardians of the Galaxy into a household name thanks to the success of the 2013 film—a project that very few believed in beforehand. Outside of comic book circles, hardly anyone knew who Gamora, Star-Lord, Groot, or Rocket Raccoon were. So when the opportunity to play the green space heroine landed on Amanda Seyfried's desk, she turned it down.
The actress revealed this in an interview with Happy Sad Confused, where she explained that the film's unusual concept—featuring a talking tree and a raccoon—just sounded way too weird. She was convinced it would be Marvel's first major flop, which would in turn negatively impact her career.
She also mentioned that the heavy makeup required for the role of Gamora, all the green screen work, and the fact that she would have had to live in London for six months were additional factors that made her ultimately say no. Instead, she took a chance on Seth MacFarlane's western comedy flop A Million Ways to Die in the West. Oops.
Of course, hindsight is 20/20, but Seyfried says she doesn't regret her decision. It was simply the right choice for her at the time, and she's happy with how her career has developed since.
Could you have pictured Seyfried as Gamora?
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