Whether it’s Westworld, The Notebook, Sonic, or X-Men — James Marsden has always been able to hold his own. Now, at 49-years-old, Marsden is trying something new. Starring in the upcoming mockumentary series Jury Duty, this improv-centric show is certainly a change of pace.
Sitting down with The Guardian to discuss his lengthy career and upcoming comedic role, the 49-year-old chatted about his past gigs and where he’s headed next. When asked about his time playing Cyclops, the ray-shooting X-Men leader, Marsden certainly has mixed feelings. As he admitted:
“That’s as close to a James Bond character as I’ve played, but I’d rather have been goofy!”
It would seem that in James Marsden’s mind, James Bond exists as a masculine ideal and, although he was always game, Marsden never felt he had the gravitas necessary to totally carry his part. He would go on to explain that although fun, playing Cyclops never felt like the right fit:
“I was riding this Harley and I was upset that I’d lost Jean Grey, I parked the Harley and walked away. Brett Ratner, the director, goes, ‘Cut! Do it again with more swagger.’ I do it again. Evidently, I don’t look super cool, as he goes, ‘Do it again – and walk like you just got off a Harley!’ I just remember feeling, ‘I’m not sure I’m this guy.'”
For what it’s worth, many fans have always thought James Marsden did just fine playing Cyclops and brought a level of vulnerability to the otherwise stoic character that suited the films and his role. Moreover, Marsden hasn’t totally ruled out playing Cyclops again, if the minds at Marvel could find a way to make it happen.
In an interview with Black Girl Nerds, the Enchanted star dug into how he thought Marvel could use the multiverse to bring his character back more than 20 years later:
“Interesting. Oh now, I’m listening.Yes, let’s bring him back now 22 years later… right, what is the (Multiverse)? I mean is it, yeah… MCU.”
Crazier things have happened, right? This is the MCU we’re talking about here. Bringing back legacy characters and resurrecting others from the dead is kind of their thing. Although the odds of that happening seem pretty low, it’s certainly a fun thought experiment.
For now though, it seems James Marsden has his sights set on comedy. Reinventing our collective perception of what he’s truly capable up, watch Marsden stretch his comedic muscles in Jury Duty — airing on Amazon’s Freevee April 7.