Amanda Seyfried turned down Guardians of the Galaxy role as she feared it would 'bomb'

Amanda Seyfried turned down the role of Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy because she was worried it would flop and ruin her career.

The Mamma Mia! actress was offered the part of the green-skinned former assassin in 2013 but she turned it down, with her previously explaining that she was wary of spending hours in the make-up chair every day to achieve her character's look.

In a new interview on The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, Seyfried revealed that she also had doubts about the franchise and was worried it would flop and her career would never recover from it.

"I didn't want to be part of the first Marvel movie that bombed," she admitted. "I said, 'Who wants to see a movie about a talking tree and a raccoon?' Which is clearly - I was very wrong.

"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?"

The role eventually went to Zoe Saldana, who starred alongside Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, and Karen Gillan, with Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper voicing the talking tree Groot and the talking raccoon Rocket, respectively.

Guardians of the Galaxy, directed by James Gunn, earned rave reviews when it was released in 2014 and became the third highest-grossing film of that year. It led to a sequel in 2017 and a third follow-up is currently in the works.

The Guardians of the Galaxy team featured in Avengers: Infinity War and 2019's Avengers: Endgame, while they are also set to appear in Taika Waititi's upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder.