X-Men Stud Plays Gay
Just before filming X-Men 2, James Marsden — otherwise known as "Cyclops" — shot an unusual little indie film called The 24th Day. Currently in theaters, it stars Felicity's Scott Speedman as a vengeful man who kidnaps his former one-night stand. Speedman's character blames Marsden's for infecting him with HIV — and threatens to kill him if his suspicion is proved true. Critics have generally trashed Day, though more due to its controversial premise than the actors themselves. Still, we have to ask: What made these guys stick their necks out?
"Neither of us had really gotten the opportunity to dig in and do something intense," Marsden tells TV Guide Online. "Even if it was in an independent film that maybe no one would ever see, we both had that hunger to show that we are capable of doing more than just Felicity or Ally McBeal or X-Men. The roles called for this really raw intensity."
Actors who carve their niches as hunky (and very hetero) leading men are usually nervous about playing gay. "I'm married, I have a 3-year-old, I'm very secure and all that," Marsden scoffs. "Scott and I talked about this a lot. The worst thing we absolutely could do is chicken out and do a G-rated version of gay. You gotta go full out, you gotta go b---s to the wall and just do it.
"I didn't have any trepidation," he continues. "I guess I've never been [in show business] when there was anything to worry about playing a gay role. I've always seen that as a really good opportunity. I think you have to be fearless as an actor, and you have to be willing to take on many different challenges, personas and characters. So it was a fun thing for me to do that!"
In fact, Marsden just wrapped filming yet another gay role in Heights, a Merchant-Ivory film co-starring Glenn Close. And P.S.: He's in love with both Spider-Man 2's Elizabeth Banks and Jesse Bradford (Swimfan)! "Creatively, as an actor, the two roles that I've been most proud of are Heights and 24th Day," the 30-year-old declares, though he's quick to add, "I don't think we're seeing a trend in James Marsden's career to just only play gay characters. I [just like] what has been required of me as an actor from both of those films."
