[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Jury Duty Season 1.]
Jury Duty has reached a verdict and are available clear to Ronald Gladden, the kind-hearted goal of Amazon Freevee‘s hidden camera experiment. The unsuspecting everyday guy was shocked to discover that the case between a business owner and ex-employee was entirely fabricated, along with the rest of his jury members, the judge, the bailiff, and more.
Among the planted jury members was movie and television star James Marsden (Westworld, Dead to Me). Along the way, the actor has forced the jury to become sequestered for the case, clogged up toilets with faux feces, and leaned into the stereotypes of celebrity personalities for this grand ruse only to be faced with kindness from Ronald. So, what was it really like to serve jury duty for the Amazon Freevee series? Below, Marsden opens up about embracing a heightened persona and highlighting kindness.
You’re the explanation the jury needs to be sequestered, and then you definately don’t even take part within the sequester. How did it really feel to play an antagonistic model of your self?
James Marsden: I get to play a jackass model of myself. I imply, a very self-involved, selfish Hollywood celeb who thinks he’s higher than anybody else within the room and assumes that everyone within the room desires to listen to about what challenge he’s doing subsequent they usually actually don’t give a s**t. But that to me was the place the comedy got here from, to have the ability to play this entitled celeb and all the things that entailed. And the distinction of that character in essentially the most equalizing expertise that we do right here in America. You’re serving jury responsibility on this broken-down courtroom with crappy lighting, and also you don’t know while you’re gonna depart. You don’t have your assistant with you. You don’t have your glam squad with you. It’s the nice equalizer. So to me, that state of affairs on paper alone was simply fertile for lots of comedy. And the extra ridiculous I will be, the extra enjoyable that was gonna be.
(Credit: Amazon Freevee)
[Ronald] clearly knew that I used to be calling the paparazzi to create a disturbance to get out of jury responsibility, however by no means as soon as ratted me out, you already know? And day after day he stored proving to be the hero. That’s in all the seven or eight scripts that we had. We didn’t know his title on the time, it was “Hero,” and day by day, he simply proved that he was a pure-hearted individual with a robust character. This is the man we wished to rejoice on the finish of it. So that once we do raise the curtain, he’s not feeling humiliated or embarrassed. If we achieved what we wished to attain, he went on an journey and was the middle of it, however he’s being celebrated.
When it comes time to movie, how do you retain a straight face in all of those situations? Whether it’s the clogged bathroom or the Margaritaville outing?
The solely factor that may hold me from laughing was realizing that if I did, you danger the entire thing being popped. Amazon’s capturing two and a half weeks of footage that they’ll’t use now. It required some adaptability alongside the way in which. There was a number of moments the place he began to turn out to be suspicious. He would open up to all of us as a result of he thought that we have been simply regular on a regular basis jurors, and he’d say, “this just feels crazy. Like it’s a reality show or something.” And so as soon as we heard that our eyes simply have been like, “oh s**t.”
Every day we might all meet for an hour earlier than [Ronald] got here, after which as soon as he left, all of us would come again and discuss what occurred to the day. And there was a day when he was getting suspicious, and so the following day Jake, the director mentioned, “Get ready for a boring day in court. We’re not pushing any of the written comedy beats. We’re just gonna listen to two attorneys droning on court speak for five hours.”
(Credit: Ronald Gladden through Instagram)
What was the rehearsal and prep course of like for the present?
I rehearsed for possibly three or 4 days earlier than we began. And I felt very ill-prepared entering into as a result of the opposite actors and the improv of us rehearsed for an additional week earlier than me, however I used to be on a job that didn’t end till just a few days previous to once we began capturing. So I used to be having to play catch up actually fast, they usually have been so useful in getting me in control. But if I might do it once more, I’d rehearse for a pair extra weeks to be actually ready. But the actual fact of the matter is as soon as he is available in, you already know, he’s the wild card. You don’t know what’s gonna make him snort. If he’s gonna even know who the hell I’m. I feel that’s the interesting a part of it for me, that it was form of reside theater. You get one take, and also you’ve gotta be fast in your toes and float.
Ronald acknowledged you, in spite of everything, from the X-Men motion pictures. When you listed your initiatives within the ready room, you actually pushed the Sonic the Hedgehog agenda. Why?
Sitting there subsequent to him within the ready room, I’m simply pondering, as an actor enjoying this character of myself, how do I deliver up myself as a result of I really feel like I’m giving any person a present, as this character? And actually, there was one other background participant sitting there who had a sock that had a phrase on it that appeared like Sonic. That’s how that got here up. That’s how I made a decision to push Sonic. I assumed it may be one thing that he would acknowledge as a result of it was one thing newer.
Ultimately, Ronald went residence and watched Sonic and your different movies. How did that really feel?
Oh, it was so candy. It was comedy gold once I introduced it up, and he goes, “Oh, I didn’t see that movie because I heard it was really bad.” That’s the meatball proper over residence plate to take the comedy so many alternative locations. I might simply sit there and be upset by the truth that he thought it was a foul film. It would’ve been tougher or much less humorous if he was like, “Oh, I love that movie.”
But then the following day, he is available in, tail between his legs, “I saw the movie, and it was actually really great. I can’t believe I didn’t know you were in it.” He’s such a candy man, such a form individual. Lots of people in the identical scenario might need been turned off by a number of the loopy antics that we rise up to because the solid and appeared within the different route. And he type of simply welcomed all people and their bizarre traits. He embraced them, which made him much more likable on the finish once we’re hoisting him on our shoulders and celebrating this [with] him.
Jury Duty, Streaming now, Amazon Freevee