Judging by the ridiculous list of huge actors that have signed on for Marvel Studios films over the past decade-plus, it’s safe to assume that the studio has little trouble finding people eager to tackle a superhero role in the MCU. But in the case of Amanda Seyfried, she was a bit hesitant starring in a Marvel Studios film because she didn’t want to be the woman that appeared in the studio’s first big bomb.
During a recent episode of the Awards Chatter podcast, Seyfried discussed her brief dalliance with Marvel Studios about one of the films that was set to be released in 2014, “Guardians of the Galaxy.” According to Seyfried, she was up for the role of Gamora (which would eventually go to Zoe Saldana and would become one of the fan-favorite characters in the MCU). And while the actress felt as if the film was well written, Seyfried sincerely thought that “Guardians of the Galaxy” was going to be the first Marvel “bomb.”
“I didn’t want to be part of the first Marvel movie that bombed,” explained Seyfried. “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?”
Of course, six years removed from the release of “Guardians of the Galaxy” and seeing Gamora go on to star in ‘Guardians 2,’ as well as have significant roles in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame,” it’s easy to poke fun at Seyfried and talk about how silly it is for her to pass up on what could have been the role of a lifetime. That said, we all should go back to 2012/2013, when it was announced that Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios teamed with the director of “Slither” on a film about a group of space superheroes including a living tree, a talking raccoon, a green woman, and all led by the guy from “Parks & Rec.” To say that was a slam dunk is an outright lie.
The silver lining for Seyfried is that she can still star in a future Marvel Studios project. And after her role in “Mank,” as well as the career she’s built over the past half-decade, Marvel Studios should have the actress on its radar. This time, we’d guess, Seyfried might not be so quick to turn it down.
