Amanda Seyfried turned down Guardians of the Galaxy because ‘who wants to see a movie with a talking raccoon?’

Gamora role was ultimately filled by actor Zoe Saldana

Amanda Seyfried turned down a role in Guardians of the Galaxy because she didn’t believe anyone would see a movie “about a talking tree and racoon”.

In 2013, Seyfried was offered the role of Gamora in the Marvel franchise, with the part ultimately being played by Zoe Saldana.

While Seyfried previously explained that she was wary of the green-skinned role because it would require hours in the make-up chair, she has now revealed that she had doubts about the franchise as a whole.

“I didn’t want to be part of the first Marvel movie that bombed,” she told The Hollywood Reporter’s 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.”

She continued: “The script was great, it was all based on not wanting to be ‘that guy’. Because if you’re 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. I thought, is it worth it?”

Guardians of the Galaxy would earn rave reviews and become the third most successful film of 2014.

It also featured an all-star cast, including the voices of Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper as, respectively, a talking tree named Groot and a hot-tempered talking raccoon named Rocket.

Amanda Seyfried in 2019, and Zoe Saldana in Guardians of the Galaxy (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images/Disney)

Seyfried is currently drawing Oscar buzz for her role in David Fincher’s Mank, which The Independent called “a 16 oz steak of a film with pudding after”.