Amanda Seyfried passed on playing Gamora due to "high chance that this could be bad"

The actor says she was in the running for Guardians Of The Galaxy, but thought that the role could "ruin" her career.

By Drew Gillis  |  October 26, 2026 | 10:54am
Image: Lionsgate
Film News Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried passed on playing Gamora due to

Amanda Seyfried has a habit of being charmingly blunt, be it drunk on David Letterman or casually bringing up what she loves about socialism. Over the weekend, the actor got candid at a SAG-AFTRA conversation about why it felt “just so obvious to me at the time” to pass on Guardians Of The Galaxy. According to Seyfried, she was in the running to play Gamora, a role which ultimately went to Zoe Saldaña. “I’m like: “This is not going to be a hit. The tree and the raccoon are talking to each other. And also they’re all in space,” Seyfried said, according to The Independent. “And I was just like: ‘This will ruin my career if this is bad. And there’s a high chance that this could be bad.'”

Seyfried now says she was “wrong” about the success of the film, but it’s still a decision she stands by. “I still don’t take back that decision. I made it for myself. I made it for my family that I knew I wanted to have,” she continued. “And I just don’t want to spend all the time in the make-up trailer. I just can’t sit still anyway. I really don’t like stunts, and I don’t like heights, and I don’t like pretending the entire world. I need something to hold on to.” So, yeah, it sounds like the job wouldn’t have been a good fit for Seyfried. And, had she taken it, it’s hard to imagine she’d have had time for The Testament Of Ann Lee or The Dropout and all the other cool things she has going on. 

 
Join the discussion...
Keep scrolling for more great stories.