The real reason why James Marsden turned down Magic Mike

4 Min Read
a shirtless James Marsden

James Marsden, who is currently shining in the new adaptation of Stephen King‘s The Stand, admits there are roles that he sometimes wishes he hadn’t turned down.

That said, any actor in Hollywood who has been around for any length of time has been offered a role that they decided not to take in a movie that went on to become a massive hit.

James Marsden Premiere Of HBO's "Westworld" Season 2 - Arrivals
James Marsden attends the premiere of HBO’s “Westworld” Season 2 at The Cinerama Dome on April 16, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Getty Images)

The revelation that the former Cyclops could have been in Magic Mike came in an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden. Marsden talked about how he was offered a role in Days of our Lives very early in his career but decided not to do it.

He seems to feel now that was still the right choice, but he’s less sure about the decision to turn down Magic Mike because he gave up the chance to work with a great director. According to Marsden

James Marsden Premiere Of Relativity Studios' "The Best Of Me" - Red Carpet
James Marsden attends the premiere of Relativity Studios’ “The Best Of Me” at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live on October 7, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Getty Images)

“I was offered a role in Magic Mike. I had the fear that I would be edited out of the movie. All my lines would be cut out, and I’d be an extra just rushing around in a G-string. So I think it was a lack of courage on my part. But then I was like, ‘What am I doing? This is Soderbergh.’ I should have just done it.”

While James Marsden doesn’t talk more about the role he would have had in Magic Mike, it certainly doesn’t sound like it was a very important one, as the reason he decided against the role was that he thought he would eventually be cut out of the movie.

James Marsden IWC Schaffhausen Celebrates "Timeless Portofino" Gala Event During Art Basel Miami Beach To Mark The Launch Of The New Portofino Midsize Watch Collection
James Marsden attends IWC Schaffhausen celebrates “Timeless Portofino” Gala Event during Art Basel Miami Beach to mark the Launch of the new Portofino Midsize Watch Collection at The W Hotel South Beach on December 3, 2014 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Getty Images)

If all his lines could have been cut without impacting the movie, that’s certainly not a huge role. Part of him, however, still wishes he’d done it anyway, and that ending up as an extra in a G-string would have been worth it just to work with Steven Soderbergh.

He also noted that he still has friends and family who feel it was a good decision to not do the film because “they didn’t want to see me like that.” Hearing this, Marsden laughed and said, “I could have jumped in and had fun with that.” To which host James Corden let out a quick chuckle.

James Marsden IWC Schaffhausen at SIHH 2019 - Gala Red Carpet
James Marsden attends the IWC Schaffhausen Gala celebrating the launch of the new Pilot’s Watches at the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) on January 15, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images for IWC)

Watch James Marsden talk about passing on Magic Mike

YouTube video

Share This Article