INTERVIEW: James Marsden's Worst Co-Star
- Details
- Category: Interviews
- Created: Thursday, 24 March 2011 16:30
- Published: Thursday, 24 March 2011 16:30
- Written by Lupe Haas
Actor James Marsden has starred alongside Hugh Jackman, Katie Holmes, Halle Berry, Katherine Heigl, Ryan Gosling, and now the Easter Bunny in HOP but his interaction with his CGI co-star proved the most challenging.
Listen to James Marsden interview below.
Hop is James Marsden's first live-action animated film acting opposite a CGI co-star which consisted of acting opposite a stuffed bunny or green tape on wire. In HOP, James Marsden is Fred, an out-of-work slacker who comes upon the E.B. the Easter Bunny voiced by Russell Brand. E.B. has escaped Easter Island in search of fame as a rock 'n' roll drummer.
The versatile actor has varied his roles in romantic comedies (27 Dresses), action (X-Men), musicals (Hairspray), horror (The Box), Disney family films (Enchanted), dramas (The Notebook), but James admits every film has it's challenges, technically HOP has been the most difficult. For most of HOP's production, James talked to an imaginary character. He compared it to a duet. "It was like singing duet without the other person singing with you. You're there to bring life to a scene and make it feel natural. Then you subtract from that a co-star. You're actually talking to nobody, he told CineMovie.
Besides knowing his lines, James Marsden memorized Russell Brand's line as well remembering the movement or blocking of E.B. around the set. Adding those elements while trying to keep his acting natural was challenging. "I've never been more prepared because I couldn't afford not to know my lines," according to James. To help him in the process, actor Greg Ellis from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise was brought in to read lines with James as if Russell Brand. During shooting, another British actor came in for the same function. A stuffed rabbit was also brought in on the first take to establish the actor's eyeline throughout the scene. On the next take, the stuffed rabbit was replaced with green tape on wires.
After weeks of acting opposite an imaginary character, James was relieved to see his on-screen father and sister Gary Cole and Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) for their scenes together. When aley or Gary Cole came in I was like Thank god. We can act together."
For more with actor James Marsden on handling his role in HOP, listen to the interview.