James Marsden: Low Profile and Loving It

As it happens, Marsden’s career opportunities did fall into place relatively quickly. Through a casting director who was a family friend, he secured representation, a modeling contract with Versace, and a role in the pilot episode of The Nanny. “A little job here, a little job there, and after six months in L.A., I was paying for my rent and my meals,” he says. “Very slowly, the tiniest of snowballs snowballed from there. At some point, the snowball got to be a nice size, and I wanted it to stay that way. That’s sort of now. I don’t want it to keep rolling. Or rather, I want it to keep rolling, but I don’t want it to keep getting bigger.”

Such matters may ultimately lie beyond Marsden’s control. In January, he’ll finally have his first bona fide romantic lead, opposite Katherine Heigl’s career bridesmaid in the Fox comedy 27 Dresses, after which he’ll join Cameron Diaz in the supernatural thriller The Box from Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly. Still, if Marsden’s days as a second fiddle and third wheel are numbered, he admits he’s nervous about the responsibilities that come with above-the-title billing.

“I’m more comfortable with the bar set low,” he says with a flash of his milky-white smile. “If expectations are low, you can only impress people. But if expectations are there for you to be the leading guy, and you’ve been paid X amount of money, you’re on a tightrope and all of a sudden you’re looking down. If it was up to me now, I would just stay on the up-and-coming list until I’m like 90.

“In music, there’s these independent bands that you know about but that not that many people know about, and that makes you somehow love them more. And the music doesn’t change, but if the general populace catches on and elects it as the music that should be all over the radio and movies, then psychologically something happens — you don’t like them as much.”

“That’s right,” I tell Marsden as we walk to the parking lot. “Once 27 Dresses comes out, I won’t like you as much either.”

“I’m just happy you liked me at any point in time,” he says. “I’m grateful for that.”