10 Actors Who Were Too Scared To Accept Movie Roles

7. Amanda Seyfried Was Scared Guardians Of The Galaxy Would Bomb

Jude Law Superman
Warner Bros. Pictures

At the time, Guardians Of The Galaxy was the biggest risk Marvel Studios had ever taken.

An indie director, a massive budget, an unusual tone, and a group of unknown characters had the potential to be a recipe for disaster, but the gamble paid off (literally), and the Guardians are now up there with the biggest superheroes around.

Fans and pundits weren't alone in their doubt, either - there was even a lot of skepticism within the industry itself, with Mamma Mia star Amanda Seyfried actually turning down the Gamora role because she feared the movie would bomb:

"I didn't want to be part of the first Marvel movie that bombed. 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?"

In the end, Seyfried's fear proved to be unnecessary: Guardians grossed an incredible $773 million worldwide, $59 million more than Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

To paraphrase Quicksilver, we did not see that coming.

Contributor
Contributor

Danny has been with WhatCulture for almost nine years, and is currently Doctor Who Editor and WhoCulture Channel Manager, overseeing all of WhatCulture's Whoniverse coverage. He has been writing and video editing for 10+ years, and first got a taste for content creation after making his own Doctor Who trailers and uploading them to YouTube (they're admittedly a bit rusty by today's standards). If you need someone to recite every Doctor Who episode in order or to tell you about the making of 1988's Remembrance of the Daleks, Danny is the person to ask.