By Justine Harman
OCTOBER 14, 2014
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been enchanted by James Marsden’s hyperrealized good looks: those striking cheekbones, the oversaturated blue eyes, and that “Hey, Girl” smirk. But when we meet at The Fat Radish, a sun-drenched farm-to-table eatery on New York’s lower east side, I realize what I always realize when I meet actors: James Marsden is just one man. He’s not some bizarre amalgamation of every out-of-reach hottie and chiseled screen star I’ve ever idolized. He’s just a guy who makes jokes that don’t land, gets worried that he’s hurt your feelings (when he hasn’t), and connects with whomever happens to be in his orbit—be she a microphone-wielding journalist or a drink-bearing waitress. (No wonder he was so good at playing Liz Lemon’s adorable hot dog vendor husband, Criss Cross, on 30 Rock.)
And yes, of course, he’s divine looking. But when he challenges you to a full-on beer chug—according to the actor, he and his dad both possess an uncanny ability to rocket back cold ones—you forget that he’s the star of Nicholas Sparks’ latest, The Best of Me, out Friday, and not just another frat boy teasing the hopeless competitor inside you. And therein lies James Marsden’s charm: No matter how old we get, he stays the same age. Save for a few salty flecks at his temples, he’s as arresting and youthful now as he was in 2000’s cult-loved Gossip (you know, the dark, sexy one with Norman Reedus and Kate Hudson).
Here, we grill the 41-year old on the curse of being born beautiful, his real-life high school sweetheart, and what it’s really like to play second banana to Gosling:
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