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James Marsden has made a career out of subverting the expectationsthat come with his strong-jawed good looks.
OnWestworldhe plays Teddy Flood, an android or host programmed as an earnest cowboy who gains sentience.
But thanks to Marsdens tender performance, his character often feels the most human.
It was the pilot.
At first glance I thought wait, Im playing a robot?
And then I realized those were the most interesting roles in the show, from my perspective anyway.
I did not know where it was going to go.
I knew that there were virtues to Teddy that were in his programming from the beginning.
It does feel like a little bit like no good deed goes unpunished, right?
Its not exactly sexy to be the good guy nowadays, right?
Yeah, thats true.To be the virtuous superhero like Superman isnt necessarily sexy.
Its more exciting to relate to the bad guys or the dark side of some of the other characters.
But I find that its a nice ground to play in.
And I know its not exciting all of the time.
Not to get all like social commentary, but we need people like that.
Oh, I agree.It takes a lot of effort.
I know that sounds corny again, but I miss people like that.
I miss heroes like Gary Cooper,like you mentioned in your article.
Like inHigh Noon, when everythings against you and its so easy to just drop your moral code.
So I admire him, and I like that part of Teddy.
I think its also probably harder for an actor to play the good guy.Yes, definitely.
Especially since Teddy is so different than anybody else inWestworldon multiple levels.
Which is really interesting on a show thats all about autonomy and having control over ones own self.
How do you create the humanity in a character like that?Belief.
Even if he knows it was manufactured for him, it felt real to him.
Much like Maeve coming back for her daughter, that was a narrative construct.
This is written, its a story, yet its real to her.
For him, as an actor, youve just gotta go into it with conviction and belief.
Every time he dies, its the first time for him.
You just have to really jump in and commit to there being real stakes.
They want to believe that youre really in this ridiculous circumstance.
I think youre really good at that.Well, thank you.
Yet, he still feels bound to her in a very loving and loyal way.
Theres still levels where they connect and they do have this idea of wanting all this to go away.
And I dont want to speak for her but its a betrayal, yes.
But you could see her point as well which is, youre not going to live, man.
Youre too good of a man.
The world doesnt deserve you.
Obviously, well see.
But it was a real heartbreaking time.
Evan and I were on set actually getting quite emotional about that scene.
She was not having a good time with it.
Nor was I, because you get put in some pretty perverse situations on this show.
Very true.And cruel emotionally.
Evan and I have a great relationship, we have a lot of fun on set.
We cherish these characters and their dynamic and their connection.
So it was a sad day when all of that went down.
But we also know that were telling a long story, and well see where it all goes.
Its all behind her eyes.
She just shows you into the darkest corners of her mind with a look.
Then they yell cut and she starts laughing.
Were sort of like eh, no big deal now.
Okay, now we get to go into a rotted meat locker and betray each other.
I mean, I have to operate that way.
Its like, oh my god, everyones just in a miserable mood.
Evan thank god is the opposite and so am I.
And I think thats so interesting to hear.
If it were easy every day, Id feel like youre not doing good work.
But you get used to it being an actor.
I mean, I get used to doubting myself and you sort of find comfort in it.
I still think it ended up being the right movie maybe without me in it.
But at the time it was like, theres about six lines for me in the script.
You said verykindly that Im a good dancer.
And boy was I wrong!
My mantra is, its all about the director.
Its like, put yourself in the hands of people you trust.
I would have appreciated you in there.Thats very sweet of you to say.
And sure, I would have liked to be able to do that with like, kill approval.
You shouldnt frame your decisions like that necessarily, but sometimes you overthink things.
That was not necessarily as challenging as it was intimidating.
There are moments Teddys haunted by in the first season when hes talking about Wyatt.
I didnt have an fucking clue who Wyatt was.
Who is this guy and why am I now a Union soldier outfit?
Jonah and Lisa were like, It will make sense later.
They were trying to be cryptic intentionally.
Youre intentionally off balance because thats the way its supposed to feel when you see it.
When you deliver a performance, you want to feel like youre in some sort of control.
OnWestworld, youre just going, boy, I dont know what I just did.
I dont know what just came out of my mouth because theres so much thats in code.
Lisa and Jonah are great about making sure we know the necessary things.
But when they want it to come out a little cloudy, they keep you in the clouds.
So as the season progresses, there are revelations to us as well.
Sometimes you go, Oh, okay, that makes sense now.
I wish Id have known that back then when we were doing this.
I imagine its what some of the audience must feel a lot of the time, watching the show.
Thats definitely how it feel.
Its a hard thing for actors to give in and make yourself vulnerable on set.
My appetite is strong for something fun [laughs] and musical with a lot of energy.
But you know, I think its in Scorsese land or Leo DiCaprio land or whoever owns it.
Thats always a role Ive felt like, Oh, thats something I could do.
I know exactly what to do.
Thats a good feeling.
I loved you inBachelorette.
But sometimes when they get everything handed back to them, its enjoyable.I find that funny.
Roles where Im able to do that are funny to me.
Its easier and more fun than playing the guy who does have his shit together.
So more of those would be nice.
