Enchanted's James Marsden chats with Blockbuster.co.uk's Marshall Julius about the challenges of playing a cartoon prince in the real world.
Previously best known for his efforts as goggled X-Man Cyclops, actor
James Marsden has shown a lighter side of late, as local TV hero Corny Collins in the musical version of
Hairspray, and most recently as a strapping cartoon prince who braves the real world in search of his beloved in Disney's enchanting
Enchanted. "I play a man who is in love with being in love," says the all-singing, all-dancing, up-and-coming movie star.
The story of a fairytale maiden, Enchanted opens in the Disney tooniverse as the beautiful Giselle (
Amy Adams), on the verge of marrying dashing Prince Edward (Marsden), is banished to contemporary New York by evil Queen Narissa (
Susan Sarandon). There she meets a charismatic but cynical divorce lawyer (
Patrick Dempsey), hardly her ideal man, but sparks fly and she discovers that in modern day Manhattan, life and love are far more complicated than in the animated world. Offering a unique twist on classic Disney themes,
Enchanted blends live action with traditional animation to create a compelling romantic comedy full of music, drama, fantasy and adventure.
Easy on the eye and loaded with charisma, Marsden makes a perfect Prince Edward, singing his heart out, eagerly professing his love and bounding around the city, looking totally out of place in enormous puffy sleeves and breeches. Investing the clueless Edward with an endearing sense of humour, energy and innocence, Marsden is irresistible in the role. Friendly and self-deprecating, the actor waxes lyrical about his latest, and possibly most outrageous character to date.
"I always describe him as having an innocent narcissism about him," reveals Marsden. "He is very confident, he is very full of himself, but in the most innocent way. He is naïve and a bit of a buffoon, but a loveable buffoon. In one scene in New York, Nathaniel, who is insecure, asks him, 'do you like yourself?' And Edward replies, 'sure what's not to like?' That is such a good line for Edward. He's not being vain, just honest, and it was important not to play him as a guy who thinks, 'I'm the greatest thing in the world.' I tried to deliver the line straight. He is saying, 'honestly, yeah, I do like myself'. It was very clear to me how to play him.
"It was important though," he continues, "to make sure that Edward did not come across as too arrogant, because he is quite a conceited character. He's very loud. He has no filter. Any thought that comes into his mind needs to be declared or sung. I love that about him because he comes from a very simple world. Things happen very easily for him at home and he is thrust into an environment where things are not that simple. They're complex and he doesn't like it. He is not as curious about this new world of New York as Giselle is. She is open to change; we see an evolution of her character. The prince on the other hand, dislikes New York, and thinks to himself: 'this is disgusting, it smells and I want to get back home, because I have to get married.' I love his black and white clarity."
Despite his obvious affection for Edward, Marsden insists that he and Prince are very different people. "I am probably more of a cynic," he begins, "though I'd call myself practical rather than cynical. I just don't subscribe to the idea that romanticism has to take the form of flower petals on the floor and boxes of chocolates. That is all lovely, but to me that is 'by the book' romance. My idea of being romantic is when I wake up in the morning with a screaming two year-old and let my wife sleep an extra few hours, or when I fill the car up with gas. I used to think the jewellery and flowers were what romance was all about, but really it should just come from your love for your partner. Very early on in my relationship with my wife, there was a lot of guitar playing, ballads and strawberries on the beach. So I suppose I'm still a romantic, but I'm cynical too - a hybrid.
"When I was younger I would try to mould myself into an image of what women wanted but now I'm interested in being comfortable in my own skin. I think it's important to have confidence in who you are and embrace that, rather than trying to be someone else. Prince Charming is an idea - or an ideal - and it's different for everyone."
Back when the character of Edward was still a twinkle in Marsden's eye, the only research required to fully bring him to life, says the actor, had already been done. "I watch a lot of Disney movies because of my kids, and that was really the best preparation for doing a role like this, because you watch those films over and over and over again. As an adult it reminds you of your own childhood. For me at least it's been wonderful watching them again, because I grew up with all those classic Disney films and there's a magic to them, that wonderful Disney magic in films like
Snow White,
Cinderella and
Sleeping Beauty. I think we have brought some of that magic into
Enchanted. There was so much artistry in those films and I love revisiting them through the eyes of my son. It prepared me unbelievably well for this role. My character is a classic Prince Charming, but tonally he is very different from all the animated princes. Often, the old fashioned animated princes were charming but vapid, without a lot personality going on. I do like Prince Philip in
Sleeping Beauty, though, because he has personality."
As for the challenges of playing such an outrageous character, Marsden recalls, "there were dance lessons and singing lessons and swordplay lessons. There was a lot to do. There were long days of shooting in the hot, New York summer. It was tougher than I thought it would be starting the project. I'm not complaining because it was also fun - I had a great time and love the film."
Marsden adds that his love for the movie did not extend to his undeniably hilarious but physically punishing costume. "It was very uncomfortable. All our costumes were uncomfortable. But it really helped my performance. For me as an actor, it's easier to play an extreme character like this with the costume and the sword and the hair. Wearing the costume gets me into the personality of the character and 90% of my work is done once I put it on. The costume transforms you. But the novelty of wearing the costume wore off around week two, when I realized I had several more months wearing it, and we were moving into the hot humid days of July in New York where it suddenly became hard work. It took ten or fifteen minutes just to get my costume on, so I really had to manage my time - especially in terms of bathroom breaks. If you needed to get out of the costume, things would have to stop and shut down for twenty minutes - just to get the suit off!"
Compensating for the discomfort was the excellent, a-list company. "Everybody had a very healthy sense of humour," says Marsden with a smile, "which was important on this film. For a film that looks as though it would be very light and fun, it was actually really hard work, so when the camera was not rolling, it was crucial that we could all laugh at ourselves. We all got on well. Amy and I clicked - she can actually be dark and sarcastic and so much fun. And I really enjoyed working with Susan. She is such an amazing actress. There was one funny moment when we were both in costume and she was in her gown, which has pointy silver bits that are like little daggers on the front. I was yelling at her during the scene and I spun around and turned away from her and my sleeve caught hold of the spike and almost pulled her whole top off. That didn't end up happening, but we still had a good laugh about it.
"Working with
Susan Sarandon was surreal. The first time she came on set she was dressed as the hag with the hunchback and scary face. We were doing a scene in the ballroom and she wandered on set in character and started waltzing with me and it was so odd. I said, 'it's going to be great to meet you properly without all the makeup', because she was practically unrecognizable. She was great though. She's an icon and I was thrilled to be working with someone of her calibre, yet she's so normal and down to earth. It fascinates me when a star like her is so normal. She's just a mum. We talked about her kids. There really was a wonderful atmosphere on the set. There were no egos at all. It was a really collaborative effort."
Having watched his way through Disney's back catalogue with his kids, Marsden says it's a special thrill for him to be able to be a part of their latest family-friendly spectacle. "It was a great opportunity to do a film my kids can see. My two year-old daughter is still too young for the film, but my six-year-old son has seen the movie and really liked it. He's now starting to enjoy seeing me on screen. Until now it was a strange concept for him. When small children watch a movie it's real to them. Even if you explain that it's pretend and a fake reality, to them it is reality. So my son thought to himself, 'why is Dad on screen in puffy sleeves and tights, chasing a woman who isn't mum?' But we've explained things to him, and he's just about old enough now to understand that it's all an illusion."
What isn't an illusion is that
Enchanted is a magical, mellifluous movie deserving pride of place on your list. Add it today, and enjoy!