James Marsden has had many acting roles in his roughly three-decade-long career, however, his latest role in Amazon Freevee’s “Jury Duty” was a first for him.
Marsden plays himself in the TV series, which is a mockumentary that follows a group of jurors sitting on a trial. Marsden’s fellow jurors are also actors, as is the entire courtroom. Only one individual — the jury’s foreperson, Ronald Gladden — is unaware that the court proceedings are a prank.
While he plays himself, Marsden explained his role was a “heightened version” of himself that made fun of the “entitled Hollywood brat” stereotype, a role that he was surprised he enjoyed taking on.
“It was very liberating,” Marsden said during a phone interview. “It was a lot of fun. I had a problem taking that character off at the end of the day sometimes. I think most people who know me know I’m not that guy and I was maybe a little worried that at the end of it that people would think that’s really me, but I had so much fun with it.”
Given the show’s experimental nature and relative newness of the streaming platform, Marsden wasn’t expecting the widespread recognition the show received, but has been grateful for the fans’ support.
“We always hope that it’s going to be successful,” he said. “It was for a new platform on Amazon that no one really knew about. It was a bit experimental in its concept. It’s one guy who think the whole thing is real and we created a whole fake world around it. You just don’t know if that’s going to work or not and even if it’s going to be ethically right to do. I’m just thrilled that it’s working. I’ve never seen a project of mine go meteoric as fast as this one has.”
Last week, Marsden attended an event for Swiss watch brand IWC in Miami, ahead of the Grand Prix. He’s been a longtime fan of watches, and has partnered with the brand since 2015.
“I’ve always just really enjoyed what they do and their heritage,” he explained. “They’re just timeless designs and the sophistication and simplicity. I’ve just loved their work over the years and the craftsmanship that goes into the pieces they create. I like to think that I take that care and creative artistry and incorporate that into my work.”
Marsden explained that his own personal style is similar to that of IWC — simple and classic.
“I’m kind of a simplistic, classic guy,” he said. “I don’t try to get too outrageous, especially with my age nowadays. I think you can do it and still not be boring, but simplicity and really the elegance in simplicity…that kind of speaks to my fashion style. Classic — and you can find little ways to dress it up a bit.”