“I didn’t want to be part of the first Marvel movie that bombed,” Seyfried recently told The Hollywood Reporter during an interview on the “Awards Chatter” podcast. “I said, ‘Who wants to see a movie about a talking tree and a raccoon?’ Which is clearly — I was very wrong.” “The script was great, it was all based in not wanting to be ‘that guy,’” the actress added. “Because if you are the star of a giant movie like that, and it bombs, Hollywood does not forgive you. I’ve seen that happen to people and it was a giant, giant fear and I thought, is it worth it?”
James Gunn eventually cast Zoe Saladana as Gamora, a character that has recurred in several Marvel Cinematic Universe projects, from “Guardians of the Galaxy 2” to “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame.” While Seyfried is no stranger to popular franchise fare (see her leading role in the “Mamma Mia” musical series), she’s recently been focusing on high profile auteur collaborations thanks to well-reviewed supporting roles in David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks: The Return,” Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed,” and David Fincher’s “Mank,” the latter of which is earning her Oscar buzz this year. Speaking to ComicBook.com over the summer, Seyfried said she often thinks about how she passed on “Guardians of the Galaxy.” The movie became a critical and box office sensation in August 2014, grossing $772 million worldwide. Gunn’s comic book tentpole is often cited as one of the best Marvel movies to date. “I was just like, ‘Ah, I don’t wanna be green. It’s just so much work,’” Seyfried said. “I remember Jennifer Lawrence talking about once, how long it took her to get blue. And I was like, ‘That seems like hell on earth,’ because then you get to set and you’re only there for a couple hours, and then you have to take everything off. And that was literally the reason.” Seyfried’s performance in “Mank” is now streaming on Netflix. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
