Amanda Seyfried passed on playing Gamora, fearing a flop; Here’s how Guardians of the Galaxy actually performed at the box office

Amanda Seyfried turned down playing Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy, fearing it would flop. Instead, the film grossed USD 773M worldwide, launching a hit franchise with two sequels.

Written by Seema Sinha , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 22, 2025 | 07:01 PM IST | 6.4K

Picture Courtesy: Getty Images

Amanda Seyfried recently appeared on the Happy Sad Confused podcast and dished out whether she was ever really offered the role of Gamora in the Guardians of the Galaxy—and if so, why she didn’t take it. The actress confirmed she met with James Gunn regarding the Marvel project but had her own reasons for saying no.

First and foremost, she didn’t want to arrive ridiculously early to the set to get her body painted a different color. The endeavor also required her to stay in London for six months out of the year, which wasn’t ideal as she was considering another project at the time—Seth MacFarlane’s A Million Ways to Die in the West. While these factors played a role in Seyfried passing on the MCU opportunity, the actress revealed an even bigger reason for rejecting the role of Gamora: she thought Guardians of the Galaxy would be Marvel’s first flop.

“Let’s also remember that being a part of the first Marvel movie that bombs ain’t good for your career,” Seyfried said. “I thought that because this was about a talking tree and a talking raccoon, it would be Marvel’s first bomb and me and Chris Pratt would never work again. I was wrong! But I was just being smart. It’s not brave.”

Well, not only did Guardians of the Galaxy succeed, but it did so tremendously well that it launched a franchise with two sequels. While the original outing in 2014 made USD 773 million at the worldwide box office, the following installments grossed over USD 800 million each.

Zoe Saldaña was cast as Gamora in the films and also appeared in other Marvel movies such as Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

Nevertheless, Seyfried said in the aforementioned interview that she doesn’t regret passing on the project, as it was an informed decision she made for herself at the time. She expressed her dislike for green-screen work, saying she had done some of it before the Marvel offer came her way and knew it wasn’t her cup of tea.

Are you a Guardians of the Galaxy fan? Also, what do you think of CGI-heavy movies? Do let us know!