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Amanda Seyfried admitted she turned down the leading role in Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” because she thought it would “ruin” her career.
The actress got candid about being offered the role of Gamora — a role that went to Zoe Saldaña — in the 2014 movie during a Q&A discussion with the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
“I think turning down ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ was just so obvious to me at the time,” she said. “I’m like, ‘This is not going to be a hit.'”
Seyfried, 40, explained her original reasoning, saying she thought it was odd that Groot, a tree voiced by Vin Diesel, and a raccoon named Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, talked to each other.
“And also they’re all in space,” she said. “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.'”
The “Mamma Mia” star confessed she was “obviously” wrong about the movie being a flop but didn’t regret her decision.
“I made it for myself. I made it for my family that I knew I wanted to have,” Seyfried said, adding that she also didn’t want to “spend all the time in the makeup trailer.”
“I just can’t sit still anyway,” she continued. “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.”
The “Crowded Room” star turned down the movie ahead of meeting her now-estranged husband, Thomas Sadoski, 50, whom she recently split from after nine years of marriage. The exes share two kids: Nina, 9, and Thomas Jr., 6.
The role ultimately went to Saldaña, who starred opposite Diesel, Cooper, Dave Bautista as Dax and Chris Pratt as Peter Quill.
The movie’s plot revolves around a group of outcast heroes who come together to save the universe from the villain Ronan the Accuser, portrayed by Lee Pace.
According to Box Office Mojo, “Guardians of the Galaxy” brought in more than $700 million worldwide.
The second installment was released in 2017 and brought in more than $863 million at the box office, followed by 2023’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which earned more than $845 million.
The superheroes also appeared in Marvel’s 2018 “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018), which earned $2 billion worldwide, 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame” ($2.7 billion) and 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” ($760 million).
It’s unclear when a fourth movie installment will be released.