The actor talks Singapore food, regaining superpowers and filming nude for "Westworld"
Photos: Pamela Chow & Courtesy of HBO
Voted one of the handsomest men alive, James Marsden can make a boring grey couch look good. He sits on one across from us, looking eager and sprightly for a Wednesday morning.
After completing his run as Cyclops, aka Scott Summers, in the X-Men trilogy, Marsden is back to electrify fans with his boyish charm. He returns as the handsome, artificially intelligent cowboy Teddy Flood in HBO's latest sci-fi series, "Westworld".
The titular Western town is in fact a virtually constructed park where visitors can indulge in all sorts of sins - from decadent to depraved.
In Singapore for the first time, Marsden speaks to us about his experience with weird dreams, superhero work and filming what has been referred to as "the next 'Game of Thrones'".
If you could visit Westworld as yourself, what would you do?
I would want to go with people I think I know really well, like my friends, and watch how they behave. The one thing about Westworld is you can be whoever you want to be, without consequences or rules.
I’d want to see my friends reveal their true characters. I would be like, “Ooh, I thought I knew you, but you’re much darker than I thought! Maybe we can’t be friends anymore.”
How do you think “Westworld” will affect the public perception of virtual reality?
We’re starting to see fully immersive virtual reality gaming, and I think it’s not out of the question that someday, something like Westworld will exist. My concern is whether or not it’s good for us! [Laughs] I have kids and they do play video games and we have to monitor that. You don’t want to desensitise yourself or, more importantly, the children.
What do you think of fans seeing “Westworld” as the next “Game of Thrones”, success-wise?
I can see why a lot of people are drawing that comparison. But I don’t think too much about comparing them. I don’t think about becoming the ‘successor’ to “Game of Thrones” – we just want to do a good show and I think people are going to get behind our ideas and concept.
I’m a big fan of “Game of Thrones” and hopefully “Westworld” joins right up there with it.
ADVERTISEMENTS