Amanda Seyfried ‘Got the Offer’ for Gamora but Thought It’d Be Marvel’s First Flop and ‘I’d Never Work Again’: ‘It’s About a Talking Tree and Raccoon’

Amanda Seyfried was the latest guest on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast and said that she actually had the offer from James Gunn and Marvel Studios to play Gamora in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise. The Oscar nominee “mulled over” the offer for a few days before coming to the realization that “Guardians” just wasn’t for her.

“I was really scared of the idea of being stuck and painted a different color because of the amount of time [it takes],” Seyfried said. “It was a giant opportunity. I had just met James in person. He is wonderful. Apparently someone said he didn’t remember but it’s definitely true. I definitely got the offer for it and I mulled over it for a couple days. I didn’t want to live in London for six months out of the year. There was another movie I really wanted to do with Seth MacFarlane called ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West.’ It felt like a good opportunity.”

“Let’s also remember that being a part of the first Marvel movie that bombs ain’t good for your career,” she continued. “I thought that because this was about a talking tree and a talking raccoon that 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.”

Seyfried admitted she was “way too scared” to take a chance on “Guardians,” which ended up being a break out hit for Marvel Studios in 2013 with $773 million at the worldwide box office. Zoe Saldaña was cast in the role of Gamora. “Guardians” spawned two sequels, both of which grossed over $840 million worldwide, while Saldaña’s Gamora would also appear in other Marvel movies such as the record-breakers “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers Endgame.”

“I was at a precarious moment in my career and I didn’t want to suffer for the work,” Seyfried added about being resistant to the makeup process. “Sitting there for four-and-a-half hours every morning seemed like it wasn’t going to be fun. I had done some green screen stuff and it wasn’t my best or my cup of tea then. I don’t regret anything. I made that decision for myself. It was good for me then and it was good for me now.”

Watch Seyfried’s full interview on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast in the video below.