‘Jury Duty’ actor James Marsden says the show was an improv pressure cooker : NPR

Ishmer Sahid (left) and James Marsden, who will play alternate jurors in the series Jury duty.

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Ishmer Sahid (left) and James Marsden, who will play alternate jurors in the series Jury duty.

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new show jury duty Its genetic roots are in old TV shows hidden camera, There, a hidden camera caught the reactions of the unaware bystanders when something surprising happened.

In the Amazon Freevee series jury duty, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden agreed to take part in what he believed was a documentary about jury experiences. The camera follows Ronald as he goes to a courtroom in Los Angeles, is elected jury president, and follows the court proceedings. But what Ronald doesn’t know is that it’s all fake. Hidden cameras are installed throughout the courtroom, and everyone except him is said to be an actor. Actor James Marsden, who plays himself satirical and selfish, calls the show “a wildly ambitious pretentiousness.”

“I had a lot of anxiety, but the biggest one was the wild card of this one person being thrown into this situation that was all fake,” says Marsden. “Is it ethically correct to play with the human experience of three weeks of a person’s life?”

From the beginning, Marsden worked with show creators Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky office) did not want to participate in the prank show.But they assured him that jury duty Not cruel or mean. Instead, Marsden says the goal was to create a “hero’s journey” for Gladden.

According to Marsden, they told him, “We surrounded him with strange and eccentric weirdos, and hopefully eventually he would be the leader and pave the way for him to establish himself. I think 12 angry men The moment he inspired us all and united us, and we pull back the curtain and celebrate him as a human being. ”

Marsden’s film and television credits include 4 credits x men movienotebook, enchanted, westworld and died to mesay jury duty It was unlike any acting job he had ever had. First, the show was only partially scripted, and the actors had to constantly change according to Gladden’s actions.

“It flowed like water and had to turn when needed. No one knew what he was talking about,” says Marsden. “If we want Ronald to turn left and he wants to turn right, you have to turn right with him and coordinate. It was exciting and it was really scary at the same time.”

interview highlights

About the whole thing riding Gladden

There could have been a number of events that would have spoiled the whole effort. And we’ve been really, really lucky, mostly because as far as him goes, he’s one of the most kind, empathetic, wonderful human beings I’ve ever met. And he kind of took it with his stride and laughed it off. And all the absurd, crazy things going on in court. So they did a great job of finding him. And we got to know him the first day the cameras started rolling.

Ronald Gladden (middle, striped) is the only non-actor in the series Jury duty.

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Ronald Gladden (middle, striped) is the only non-actor in the series Jury duty.

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We were finishing up, so we only had a few days of rehearsals. party down at the time. And the other cast members had another week and a half of rehearsals because it was so strategic and so choreographed. Where would you like to sit? It was just complicated, just sweaty and I remember thinking, ‘I don’t think I’m ready and I can’t do anything interesting. I don’t want to be the one who ruins everything. …

It’s a tightrope walk. And the closer you get to the finish line, the more danger comes with it. After two weeks, no one makes the mistake of calling someone by their real name instead of their character name. And suddenly, Amazon has two weeks of unusable footage of him.

It was a pressure cooker. I have never been so focused in my life. And having to maintain that level of concentration all day is exhausting.

On Forging a True Friendship with Gladden and the Anxiety of His Revelation

I actually talked to him this morning and last night. …that was important to me, it was important to the producers, the cast, and everyone who fell in love with this guy very early on, the north star of this whole process is that he knows by the end of this It was a fake, but not everything was fake. The friendships and relationships he built in the process of making this show were actually very genuine. Like… our connection with him was organic and real and genuine. And all of us couldn’t run up to him fast enough to give him a big hug and let him know that after the reveal happened. …we immediately exchanged numbers. “I’m here. Let’s play together. Let’s drink beer. Let’s talk about everything.” I couldn’t leave him alone. I didn’t want to either. I mean, I made a really real friendship with him. And so did the rest of the cast.

About Gladden’s $100,000 Prize

I remember questioning that because I was very worried that I was doing something ethically wrong. I worried that the check had slapped me in the face. Like punching someone in the mouth and throwing cash at them. Do you feel that way? And most people were like, “He’ll be happy to get the check, to be honest.”

On playing a satirical version of yourself

The idea of ​​satirizing the cliché of the entitled, self-centered, self-centered Hollywood actor was really inspiring to me. I could do it as myself, and hopefully by the time it’s over, everyone knows I’m satirizing the character and it’s not the real me. there will be

I do this sometimes when I’m sitting on set waiting for the camera to be set up. …I think it’s kind of funny to pretend to be an actor trying to be amiable and self-deprecating, but what it really conveys is narcissism. … “I don’t think people really, really understand how hard it is to be an actor…. I’m sorry, but the coffee is a little lukewarm.”

I thought the idea of ​​sending such a metaphor and playing with it and putting yourself in it was an exciting and interesting thing for me to explore. Playing someone you think the world worships when you don’t really worship them at all, and seeing that person humiliated, bowed down, and embarrassed by the lack of enthusiasm in the audience. There is something in This James Marsden always tries to bring the conversation back to himself. Because that’s the only conversation he knows and the only conversation he’s interested in.

Considering his career

One of the greatest benefits of being an actor is being able to play different types of roles and jump from television to film to stage and more. And I just want it to continue, you see? You don’t have to win an Oscar. The best career for me is working with the best directors and writers and the best casts in town. Of course, that is also a big goal for me. But it’s also just longevity. Like you want to do this until you can’t get out of bed. I love it. It’s true. And that’s the goal. I always look back on my career and feel like I’ve been on a very slow-burning trajectory for 30 years. This dynamic surge took him to superstardom, but he doesn’t want to collapse the next week. Over the next 30 years, his slow 2% slope climb trajectory continues. It was really good, so I want you to continue.

Lauren Krenzel and Seth Kelly produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.