Guardians of the Galaxy’s Gamora may be in an unusual state in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the events of Avengers: Endgame, but it seems that the character, played by Zoe Saldana, could have been a lot different, since actress Amanda Seyfried has (strongly) implied that she was initially offered the role, only to turn it down.
Seyfried (known from Les Misérables, Mamma Mia! and a series-long run on HBO’s Big Love,) made the rather intriguing revelation in a video interview with MTV promoting her recently-released co-starring dog dramedy film, The Art of Racing in the Rain, revealing that she rejected an offer to field a role that, while never-named, was obviously Gamora. When posed with the question if she would take a superhero movie, Seyfried explains somewhat cryptically:
Further Reading: Avengers: Endgame and the Gamora Problem
The role of Gamora – which debuted in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy – would have cemented a major place for her in the MCU – a global zeitgeist-dominating franchise that, 23 films in, is currently sitting at $22.5 billion worldwide. While, in retrospect, such a move might be seen as a devastating career mistake, Seyfried doesn’t exactly regret her choice. As she further explains of her reasoning:
Ultimately, it seems that Seyfried’s choice to walk away from Marvel’s Gamora may have been for the best, since fielding a major role in a Marvel movie bears significantly more responsibility than a typical film, normally involving multi-picture deals and uniquely extensive promotional commitments; things that would not mesh well with an actor who – to no fault of her own – clearly doesn’t have the necessary passion for the genre. As Seyfried continues to laud of her choice:
As for the aforementioned unusual state of Gamora in the MCU, we now have a different version of Gamora, since the version we knew – the deadly Guardians of the Galaxy team member who turned against her adopted father, Thanos – was killed in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War by Thanos in an act requiring the sacrifice of a loved one to acquire the Soul Stone. However, the “Time Heist” of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame saw the integration of a version of Gamora from earlier in the timeline; one who had yet to experience her adventures with the team and – to notable awkwardness – her romance with Star-Lord.
Consequently, Zoe Saldana (not Amanda Seyfried,) will return to the MCU to play a technically different character in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which doesn’t have a specific release date yet, but is scheduled to shoot in 2020, set for a 2021 release.
Read and download the Den of Geek SDCC 2019 Special Edition Magazine right here!
Joseph Baxter is a contributor for Den of Geek and Syfy Wire. You can find his work here. Follow him on Twitter @josbaxter.
