We’re just going to say it: James Marsden is perfect in Jury Duty. And sure, the rest of the cast is also great. Even Ronald Gladden, a real solar contractor, was the right person to trick into believing he was a real juror in court. But it’s James Marsden appreciation day, so hush.
In Jury Duty, James Marsden plays a selfish version of himself. He tries to use his celebrity status to be excused from being a juror. He even arrogantly name-drops movies that he’s been in.
“The idea of lampooning the cliché of entitled, self-absorbed, egocentric Hollywood actor was really exciting to me,” said Marsden. “I could do it as myself, and hopefully by the end of it, everyone would know that I’m satirising that character, and it’s not really me.”
“This James Marsden is always trying to get the conversation steered back to him because that’s the only conversation he knows, and it’s the only conversation he’s interested in.”
So, did James Marsden pull this trick off in Jury Duty? Yes, yes, yes. This car crash version of Marsden is a sheer and utter delight. Not only do you know that Marsden is hamming it up, you can also see a sweet guy underneath.
Related: Unpacking All of Jury Duty’s Juicy Little Spoilers
Related: Order in the Court — Here’s a List of Jury Duty’s Cast
Will James Marsden Win a Jury Duty Emmy?
Since it debuted, Jury Duty has become a smash hit. Released on April 7, the series has a 98% audience fresh rate on Rotten Tomatoes. Which is a banging good job, if you ask us.
Additionally, Amazon, the distributor of this series, plans on submitting it to win a bunch of Emmys. One of those submissions being for James Marsden.
It’s still unclear whether or not Marsden will win an Emmy for the role, let alone be shortlisted. But it would be a dang shame if he doesn’t.
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