James Marsden reveals he turned down Magic Mike role for fear he’s ‘just an extra running around in a g-string’
He has a string of hit movies to his credit, including The Notebook, Lee Daniel’s The Butler, Superman Returns and the X-Men film series.
But one blockbuster that passed James Marsden was the hit comic book comedy Magic Mike.
While performing on James Corden’s The Late Late Show, Marsden, 47, admitted that he now regrets turning down the role offered to him in the Steven Soderbergh film.
G-string fear: James Marsden, 47, admitted he regretted turning down the role offered to him in the 2012 Magic Mike film about male strippers, saying it was due to ‘lack of courage ‘
“ There are a few things I’ve said no to in the past that I’m glad I said no to and a few things I might do if I could do it again, ” the actor told Corden Tuesday night. .
Marsden explained that he passed the role because of “a lack of courage.”
‘I was worried I’d be redacted from the movie and all my lines cut out and I would just run an extra one in a g-string,’ he joked.
He added, “I have friends and family who still think it was a sensible idea for me not to do it because they don’t want to see me like that.”
Missed opportunity: ‘I was worried I’d be redacted from the movie and all my lines cut out and I’d just be an extra running around in a g-string,’ he joked to James Corden on The Late Late Show Tuesday
Box office hit: Magic Mike focused on Channing Tatum’s character making a living as a stripper at the Xquisite Strip Club in Tampa, Florida, and co-starred Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer and Matthew McConaughey
Relief: Marsden added: ‘I have friends and family who still think it was a sensible idea for me not to do it because they don’t want to see me like that’
Magic Mike, released in 2012, starred Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, and Matthew McConaughey.
The comedy drama centers around Tatum’s character, Mike, who earns a living as a stripper at the Xquisite Strip Club in Tampa, Florida, owned by former stripper Dallas, played by McConaughey.
The film confirmed Tatum as a leading man and also helped bolster the big-screen careers of Joe Manganiello and Matt Bomer.
TV roles: Marsden was last seen on the small screen, in Netflix’s Dead To me with Christina Applegate, left, and HBO’s Westworld, with Talulah Riley, right
Movie Star: He’s also had a string of hit movies to his credit, including The Notebook, Lee Daniel’s The Butler, Superman Returns and the X-Men movie series (depicted as Cyclops in X-Men 2)