James Marsden’s 3 Kids Made a Rare Appearance With Their Doting Dad at the ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 2’ Premiere

While walking the red carpet, Marsden told PEOPLE that he’s aiming for more family time these days.  “My challenge [right now] is to take a break for a second and actually pump the brakes,” he said. “It’s great to have all this work and Covid shut down everything for a good year and a half. But then when it came back, it came storming back, which was awesome and I’m so grateful to be working, but right now it’s like, I’m having to make sure I stop occasionally to take a breath, reintroduce myself to my children and live some life.” 

The actor added that he’s excited for the chance to “create memories outside of the set.” Marsden shares Jack and Mary James with his ex-wife Lisa Linde and William with his ex-girlfriend Rose Costa. He’s been open about the challenges of navigating divorce and children, telling Men’s Health in 2018 that splitting up with Linde was “sad and heartbreaking.”

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“A lot of sh*t went well for me my whole life and came easy to me,” he said. “Being a white male, you’re born with certain unearned privileges. My life hasn’t been filled with sorrow and deep struggle. When the divorce happened, it was the first time I felt I lost my equilibrium.”

He added: “I was separating not only from my wife but also my kids and the bonds of home and family. Those are things you’re painfully reminded of every day. It’s like, sh*t, what lesson is this? What’s to come from this?”

Despite all of that difficulty, Marsden noted that his kids, his current girlfriend Edei and Linde have all gone on vacation together. He offered some sweet insight into that whole blended family dynamic. “When you have people who care about each other and care about these kids and just want to give love, how can you not welcome that?” he said.