James Marsden: From Cyclops to Prince Charming

The kids — of other couples, that is — fondly remember James Marsden for his role as Scott “Cyclops” Summers in X -Men and its sequels, X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand, which, unfortunately, his own two kids failed to see.

But for sure, his six-year-old boy and two-year-old girl will finally get their wish of seeing their dad in a movie, in Walt Disney Pictures’ Enchanted (distributed internationally through Columbia Pictures) in which James plays Prince Edward, described as “a one-dimensional prince charming who’s suddenly propelled from fantasy world to the real world.”

The role proved to be irresistibly appealing to James, 34, who also shone in such films as Gossip (with Kate Hudson), The Notebook (based on a Nicholas Sparks best-selling novel), the TV series Ally McBeal, Superman Returns (as Lois Lane’s love interest) and Hairspray (with Michelle Pfeiffer). 

“It’s a great opportunity to do a film that my kids could see,” James told Funfare during a recent one-on-one at the Hollywood junket for Enchanted. “I don’t go to the movies very often these days. I thought it would be fun to make a family movie, and one particularly for my kids.”

Featuring an all-star-cast, Enchanted follows the beautiful princess Giselle (played by Adams, more on her in a future issue) as she is banished by an evil queen (played with gleeful relish by Susan Sarandon) from her magical land. She finds herself in the gritty reality of the streets of Manhattan and falls in love with a charming but flawed divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey with his McDreamy flair) who comes to her aid, even if she has already committed herself to her Prince Charming (yes, James Marsden) back home. The question is: Can a storybook view of romance survive in the real world?

Asked if he ever dreamed of living like a prince, the former Versace model thought for a while.

“Ah, you mean living in a castle in this kind of costume?” he asked back, adding with a broad smile, his dimples showing, “I don’t think so. But I must admit that I had fun playing a prince, even in that kind of costume. The X-Men movies fulfilled my childhood dream to be a superhero; it catered to the child in me; and Enchanted gave me a chance to see how fantastic it is to be a prince. Honestly, I just love the way my career is going because I get to play roles that I’ve been dreaming of playing. I didn’t plan it this way. Things just happen.”

Prince Edward (not patterned after any real-life prince, James hastened to qualify) is described as “a great character, a peacock who’s full of himself,” showing off even in the scene shot in the topsy-turvy traffic of Manhattan with James as the prince balancing himself on top of a bus.

“I’m his exact opposite,” laughed James when asked further how he compared with Prince Edward. “I’m not conceited in the first place. I read the script and it’s very clear to me how the character should be played. Prince Edward is described as having an innocent narcissism. He’s conceited in an innocent way and that’s what makes him lovable. I made sure I didn’t make him look like an arrogant jerk.”

It turned out that before our interview, James’ kids (and presumably his wife, Lisa Linde, daughter of the legendary country music songwriter Dennis Linde) had already seen Enchanted.

“My son reacted positively,” admitted James. “He loves the Chipmunk and my sword. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep the sword. I was hoping I could. I would have given it to him as a gift.”

According to his bio-data, James was born and raised in Stillwater, Oklahoma. His father is a professor of animal studies and industry at Kansas University. He has two sisters and two brothers. He attended Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma State University where he was a member of the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity.

Did he really dream to be an actor?

“No, never,” he said. “It came to me when I was in high school when I got into theater. What I was initially interested in was sports. But when I was young, I remember being fascinated by actors who were able to inhabit other characters outside of who they were. Yes, yes, I was a film buff and I was always watching movies after I got home from school. Come to think of it, maybe subconsciously I did want to be an actor. Yes, I think I did. Now, I’m doing something I love doing and getting paid for it.”

Singing is another thing he loves with equal passion.

“I have a pretty good ear for music. I did my first musical when I was in first year high school but I didn’t get to sing; I thought I couldn’t sing. Then, I just discovered that I could sing after all. I began singing and I even got into a band. I’m glad that in Enchanted I  got a chance to sing.”

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