“Hollywood does not forgive you”: Amanda Seyfried Refused to Star in James Gunn’s First Marvel Movie to Avoid MCU’s First Ever Flop Only to Regret it Later
Amanda Seyfried made her debut with the 2004 release Mean Girls. She came into prominence with the Meryl Streep starer musical drama Mamma Mia in 2008. She was nominated for the Academy Awards in the best supporting actor category for the David Fincher-directed Mank in 2020. The actor has been associated with critically acclaimed movies such as Les Miserables, Fathers And Daughters, and Things Heard And Seen.
Who doesn’t wants to work with one of the biggest production superhero franchises? Everyone, right? For the Letters To Juliet actor Amanda Seyfried, it was the other way around when she was offered the role of Thanos’ daughter Gamora in Guardians Of The Galaxy. Directed by the DCU head James Gunn, the movie went on to become a blockbuster hit commercially. The In Time actor was regretful of her decision and could not become a part of the billion-dollar franchise.
Amanda Seyfried Regrets Turning Down James Gunn’s Offer
During an interview with the reputed media outlet The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast, the Dear John actor confessed about turning down one of the best offers of her acting career. She was apprehensive about the success of Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana’s movie. Amanda Seyfried revealed-
“I didn’t want to be part of the first Marvel movie that bombed. Who wants to see a movie about a talking tree and a raccoon? Which is clearly — I was very wrong”
The role was eventually played by actor Zoe Saldana and she reprised it in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, and the latest Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. She further went on to say-
“The script was great, it was all based on not wanting to be ‘that guy’ Because if you are 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 and I thought, is it worth it?”
During an interview with ComicBook.com, Amanda Seyfried said that she is not much into Marvel. The actor said-
“I think about it often. I’m not really a Marvel movie watcher, which is, I think, why I was just, like, ‘Ah, I don’t wanna be green. It’s just so much work.”
While talking about Jennifer Lawrence’s role as Mystique in the X-Men franchise, the actor said-
I remember Jennifer Lawrence talking about it once, how long it took her to get blue. And I was like, ‘That seems like hell on earth,’ because then you get to set and you’re only there for a couple of hours, and then you have to take everything off. And that was literally the reason.”
Amanda Seyfried regretted turning down the proposal to play Gamora in James Gunn-directed Guardians Of The Galaxy as the movie went on to become of the biggest commercial hits of the superhero franchise.
Amanda Seyfried On Netflix’s Mank
David Fincher needs no introduction when it comes to cinematic brilliance and creating masterpieces in Hollywood. The director is known for his perfectionism, and believes in retakes until and unless he gets that perfect shot. Davis Fincher’s Mank is a biographical drama that showcases the life of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and how he ended up developing the screenplay of the 1941 movie, Citizen Kane.
Amanda Seyfried portrayed the role of Marion Davies in the movie. On her experience of working with the Fight Club director, the actor pointed out that the maximum number of scenes required retakes, and on being asked which scenes were shot multiple times during an interview with Collider Connected. She had mentioned-
“I mean, they’re all about the same. No, we ended up reshooting a scene so that’s probably the one. Four days and four days, I think, so eight days.”
Amanda Seyfried even mentioned how the retakes added value to her performance. She said-
“It’s beautiful. Here’s why I love that scene more than any other scene, [it] is because we got to reshoot it and I am so much better in it and was so much more comfortable. Because that was the first real scene I shot and then we shot it at the end and even though I was pregnant and feeling cold and a little ill, it was amazing. I was like, ‘Thank god we got to do this again.” I get to find more and make it better and make it make more sense, and we were comfortable.”
Mank also features Lily Collins, Gary Oldman, Tom Burke, and Tom Pelphrey. Amanda Seyfried’s praiseworthy performance went on to garner critical acclaim and appreciation from the critics. David Fincher’s Mank is currently available on Netflix.
Source: People
