Interview retranscrites sur Internet

INTERVIEW: James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi and Bobby Moresco Talk
10th & Wolf

The actors and director get personal about their latest project

In 1999, I saw a film called The Other Sister, which starred
Giovanni Ribisi and Juliette Lewis as a mentally retarded couple
trying to stay together, however her parents (Diane Keaton and Tom
Skerritt) wouldn't allow the relationship to continue. Giovanni's
performance blew me away; I had seen him in other films, but that
film made me a true fan of his work.

Since then, he's gone on to be known as 'Phoebe's brother' from
Friends and Nic Cage's brother in Gone in Sixty Seconds. But,
Giovanni stands alone as one of the greatest American actors today.

In his latest film, 10th & Wolf, he portrays Joey, a hot-head member
of the Philadelphia mob. After getting reconnected with his cousin,
Tommy (James Marsden), he decides to go after the people who killed
his father a few years ago.

10th & Wolf is loosely based on the true story of the real Donnie
Brasco; it's written and directed by Bobby Moresco, who wrote and
produced Crash. This film marks his directorial debut.

More and more as I talk about this film, I like it even better. We
caught up with Giovanni, James, and Bobby who talked about working
together on this film, and how incredible the environment was on set
as they were making the movie.

To get the full experience of the interview, here's the entire
transcript:

When you were going to write the script, did you know you were going
to direct it as well?

Bobby Moresco: No.

So how did that come about?

Bobby Moresco: They asked me to write the script; there was an
earlier draft of which I took total departure. I told them I was
going to do that, and I told the other writer I was going to do
that, or otherwise I wasn't going to take it on; that seemed
important to me. And we were shooting Crash, it was right while we
were shooting Crash. And when I was finished writing the script, I
gave it to the original writer, Chazz Palminteri, who was going to
direct it. And Chazz was very complimentary, and felt that it was a
totally different movie, which it was. He backed out, and they
offered me the job to direct it, which is quite wonderful - I thank
Chazz for that officially. And Chazz was very gracious; he
said, 'Bobby, it's a wonderful script, just not the movie I wanted
to make.' I think Chazz was going to make a more conventional
gangster movie, which is on the level of what he wanted to do. It's
just not on the level of what I wanted to do.

Was he attached to act as well?

Bobby Moresco: No, I directed Chazz as well, and it would have been
great to have him, but he wasn't.

So when did you guys get involved?

James Marsden: It was during the casting process; I got sent the
script, and it was at that point, he was attached to direct it and I
read the script and it was something that spoke to me and it was a
great character with lots of different levels, and very rich. And it
was an opportunity to do something different and a chance to work
with a real actor's director.

Giovanni Ribisi: Yeah, for me - as I eat my strawberry - I was
initially not necessarily in the idea of doing another gangster
movie; I felt like that genre had been really exhausted my agent was
pushing me to just 'read it, read it, read it.' And I did, and I was
really blown away; it's something that really superseded that genre
and it goes a lot deeper and a lot more personal, and is a lot more
than just bad guys and good guys. And as such, we spoke a lot about
that during the rehearsal process with Bobby about really making a
story - I hate to say the 'gray area' because that sort of means
something that it's not. It's different, but it's really going
deeper about loyalty and betrayal. And I think under any banner or
setting that can apply; and I guess ultimately, there would be a
common thread, which I think is great, and important. And important
for films now a days, which would be the idea of desire what people
will do and the lengths people will go to, to achieve that - whether
it's good or bad, it's about human behavior. I was really fortunate
to work with both James and Bobby; Bobby comes from the theater, and
he understands the importance of rehearsal, and what that means to a
film, in terms of the confidence the film overall will have. And as
well as the fact that Bobby came from that life; he grew up in
Hell's Kitchen in the 70's, and 50% of the rehearsals were based on
the stories he would tell, and how incredible that was. And he's an
incredible human being; his take on that was not like, 'OH YEAH!
RAD! GUNS!' It was really about 'wow, this person did this.' And
when this person walked into this bar at this particular moment,
whether he could have walked down this road or this road, he did
this and it was really from a story telling perspective.

James and Giovanni, did you know the characters you were playing;
and Bobby, did you know the characters you were writing about?

Bobby Moresco: You know, it's based on, actually not based on, taken
from an incident that happened in Philadelphia in 1991, but that's
really just a jumping off point. I took almost nothing of the real-
life incident, and hopefully it created something that has to do
with the world that we live in today. Hopefully, it will transcend a
gangster movie to something that has contemporary relevance,
hopefully. It's not by accident that 90% of the scenes in this movie
have flags in them; if you go back and watch the movie, there's a
flag in every scene. And whether you stand on the left or right
isle, I wasn't trying to take a stance there. We live in a world
where we should question the things that are being told to us,
whether it's from our fathers, uncles, Mafioso, the President of the
United States, or if it's the Prime Minister of another country -
anything that's being told to us in this information world of today,
we must question, and then decide. I thought that was an important
thing to say and to write. So I think the characters are complex and
on both sides of the isle and you'll have to decide for yourself
what's right and what's wrong - this character, or that character.

Did you go back and research this incident?

James Marsden: It was always available to us, or made available to
us by Bobby; and like he said, loosely based on this incident. And
like Giovanni was saying, just the stories he would tell of growing
up in that environment, and knowing people that were dealing with
these things that these characters were sort of dealing with. So it
didn't require going too far out of our little eco-system; it was
all there available to us.

Bobby Moresco: And I think that's part of the reason why these
characters are so human, besides the incredible acting, and I hope
you agree with me, because I did grow up with people like this.
We're talking about real human beings, we're not talking about a
character - and that makes a difference when you're talking about
someone who you love and care about. And it does; my lineage is
important to me, and I wouldn't talk to anyone unless I knew they
cared. These guys brought a sense of love to these characters that I
was blown away by.

James Marsden: And it was all to his credit - we're all here
stroking each other's feathers - it was all there on the page; it's
one of those things, you go there and read and I know who this guy
is - I don't know him personally, but I want to explore him through
Bobby.

Giovanni Ribisi: Yeah, that was one of the things about this script,
you would read it over and over and over again and you would
discover new things - 'Oh wow! Yeah, that!' And that's really
exciting; that's where complexity is a good thing, and how many
district specific elements are there - like a generality,
like 'tough guy.'

Bobby Moresco: It's all about specifics.

Was the tongue your idea?

Giovanni Ribisi: The tongue?

Yeah, was that your idea?

Giovanni Ribisi: Idea? No, it's sort of a natural thing. And that
was for the ladies!

Bobby Moresco: And that's the thing about wonderful actors; we never
talked about that. One day, he showed up with it and I was like, 'Oh
sh*t.'

James Marsden: But I will say, having said that, not ever director
creates a tone or environment on set that's conducive to you doing
that of looking ridiculous and falling on your face and trying
something that may not work. But Bobby gave us a free pass - within
limits, of course, within the confines of the script, the story, and
the characters - but gave us the courage to 'let's find these guys,
let's not make the same thing.' And it's a technical thing making
film, but within those parameters Bobby just encourages us to
collaborate and find those moments - and it's not always like that.

Bobby Moresco: Thank you (to James). But if you're going to make an
action movie - and we talked earlier about Giovanni making the shoot-
out human; but there's another shoot-out, I don't know if you
remember in the butcher's. And Jimmy (James) had this one point; we
talked about an hour, and you came back to me a little later on -
but it occurred to me he wouldn't let this go because there was
something not right, and we made a specific change that made that
scene, that look. He wouldn't let it go; to anyone else, it's a gun
fight, but these actors didn't allow that. And you hope to foster
that better.

So as far as the script, you kept pretty close, and no improv?

James Marsden: I never felt like it needed it.

Giovanni Ribisi: No, if you do improvising, it can sometimes end up
being a waste of time. You have someone who's so apt to doing that;
and if you do that, it's more or less based on a writing process.
You improvise during a rehearsal process, and nail down what you're
going to do. But it's really not - you didn't feel it was a
necessity to do that; the writing felt so organic, you just wanted
to serve that.

Bobby Moresco: I don't think that people - many people today,
understand the nature of what an improv does for an actor in a
specific setting. What an improv does for an actor is help him find
the life; it's the life that an actor's after. What he says is much,
much less important than a life, so that's the great use for
improvisation; you go, you find the life, you find the life, you
find the life and then you add the words.

How did Val Kilmer get involved, and why did he have such a small
part?

Bobby Moresco: No, Val was originally signed to play the role that
Dash Mihok played, and I love Dash; I directed him in another movie,
I would work with Dash in anything, I love him, I was happy to have
him. But originally, it was Val, and then we changed dates - the
financing didn't come through in terms of what we wanted, the
financier was originally going to put up a certain amount of money
and the deal didn't quite work, so we pushed it a month so we lost
Val. And, in the end, this financier, Jeff Todd, put up all the
money. He said, 'The hell with everybody,' which g-d bless him - a
great guy. But anyway, so we lost Val, but Val called me up when we
changed the dates; he said, 'Hey, I love this movie, write me a
part.' So I said, 'Ok.' So, I wrote that role, originally it wasn't
in the script - (to Giovanni) 'Was it in the script you read?'

Giovanni Ribisi: Initially, I don't think so.

Bobby Moresco: So that's what happened; I lost Val and I thought
this a really interesting challenge, let's see if it works. But
that's how it happened, Val wanted to do the movie and I wanted him
in it.

James Marsden: And he's from Pittsburgh too, isn't he? And he would
bring his mom to the set everyday.

Bobby Moresco: And his mom was on the set, oh yeah!

Giovanni Ribisi: In that strip club, yeah, exactly. 'Val, come down,
come on.'

James Marsden: Send me work.

Bobby Moresco: Val's the greatest guy in the world; I mean, he's had
a reputation of sorts over the last few years but I can't tell you
what a great guy he is.

James Marsden: It was a ball working with him.

Giovanni Ribisi: Yeah, and a sweetheart; that's the second movie I
did with him.

Bobby Moreseco: And ever since, we've been looking for something
else and maybe we'll find it, because I love the guy.

What about Tommy Lee, because he's perfect for that part?

Bobby Moresco: You know -

James Marsden: Why didn't Tommy bring his mom?

Bobby Moresco: Tommy brought somebody else's mother! You know, my
producers called me up. Apparently, Tommy had heard about the
project, and my producers said, 'Will you meet with Tommy Lee?' And
I said (sarcastically) 'Sure I will.' And they said, 'No really, he
wants to act.' And so I said, 'Ok, I'll take a meeting with the guy,
he wants to act.' So I take the meeting cause I figure I'll just
take the meeting and it'll be a bunch of bologna and that'll be
that. So first thing he said to me is, 'I really love the script; I
loved it so much I almost finished the whole thing!' But then we
start talking, and I see he really wants to act; he calls me the
next day and says, 'I finished the script; it's incredible! I will
do anything you want me to do; I'll come as early as you want, I'll
stay as late as you want, just tell me - I just would like to be in
this movie.' And it was this role of Jimmy Tats, and who's better
than Tommy Lee for Jimmy Tats? And he convinced me much like
Ludacris in Crash. You know, I sit down, face-to-face meeting and
convinced me that he was serious about acting. And Tommy showed up;
he came back for re-shoots, he changed the schedule for a date he
had for a concert - he was an ultimate professional. So how it came
about is he convinced me that he was serious about acting - and
indeed he was.

What was the environment like on set; it's a dark story, but there
are some humorous moments?

Giovanni Ribisi: Yeah, we were doing that scene with Piper (Perabo),
right? In the bar, it was before the club opens, and it was this
really dramatic scene where I have talk to her and talk to her about
her husband - he was murdered and the whole thing. In between takes,
you're sitting there, you're concentrating, you're trying to focus
on the emotion of the scene and, in between takes, Tommy Lee shows
up with I guess a gaggle -

Bobby Moresco: A gaggle's a good word.

Giovanni Ribisi: Strippers from the real strip club next door - and
it was his first -

Bobby Moresco: A tap on my shoulder, 'Bobby, I have a present for
you.' I turned around and went 'Ah!'

Giovanni Ribisi: Well I guess the whole rock world is a different
thing.

James Marsden: That's his focusing; that's how he focuses.

Giovanni Ribisi: Yeah, and everybody has their own way and their own
process -

Bobby Moresco: But the greatest thing was, I was in between takes
one night and I went walking by one of the trailers, and my daughter
and two of the other actors and Tommy were sitting there playing
poker in the trailer - see, he's just the sweetest guy in the world.

Giovanni Ribisi: Yeah, he is.

Bobby Moresco: Just stark raving mad.

And were these strippers background for the club?

Bobby Moresco: No, these are just extracurricular strippers that
Tommy happened to find.

James, do you know if there is going to be a Cyclops spin-off?

James Marsden: Yeah, I think this is going to be - no, no, I, um - I
have no idea. I don't think that they're doing a Cyclops spin-off,
but, if they're doing a 4th one, I don't know, I doubt it. I think
they're just going forward with the Wolverine spin-off, I think with
Hugh.

Are you interested in coming onboard?

James Marsden: I think it's a prequel so it's prior to our meeting
in the first film so, yeah.

If they came to you?

James Marsden: Oh, yeah! No, I feel very lucky to be a part of those
films and great affection for the comics and for those characters
and I feel very lucky to be a part of it and I would. If they'd have
me, I'd be a part of everyone they did.

How come you often are 'the other guy' in your movies: The Notebook,
X-Men, Superman Returns, who loses the girl to someone else?

James Marsden: You know that if you have me in the film, and I'm the
other guy that doesn't get the girl, it's going to do really well.
I'm the sort of perfect third wheel, the thorn in everybody's side.
I know it's time to just have me in a love rectangle or something.

How was working with Piper?

Bobby Moresco: They were great together onscreen.

James Marsden: And she's terrific in the film too; yeah I wish I
could say - it wasn't planned to sort of have that common
denominator in all the films, but yes I've become supremely
cognizant of if now.

What are you guys all working on after this?

Giovanni Ribisi: I just finished 5 movies back to back and just the
whole - there's the pre-production, production and the promotion of
the movie - once you do that just getting geared up for that.

Any one in particular that you can talk about?

Giovanni Ribisi: Yeah, there's a movie that I did with Don Cheadle
and Lynn Collins and a bunch of other people called The Dog Problem;
Scott Caan is in it and it's great. I mean it really turned out to
be something good, so I'm going to go to Toronto for that and then
yeah -

Is that the one Scott wrote and directed?

Giovanni Ribisi: Yeah, yeah, it turned out.

I saw the movie last night Dallas 362 -

Giovanni Ribisi: Yeah, that's a different thing; that's his fist
movie and he should be proud of it. The Dog Problem - who would have
thought? It's James Caan's son who's so talented; he's written, I
think, six plays and a put them up and this is his second movie and
I guess it's got a lot of hype, people are digging it - which is
cool because it's like we made the thing for I think like $1 million
or something like that yeah -

Bobby Moresco: That's great! That's terrific!

James Marsden: Well I'm just doing some 'other guy roles.' No, I
just finished a film called Enchanted with Amy Adams and Susan
Sarandon, for Disney.

Giovanni Ribisi: I love Amy Adams. I saw her -

James Marsden: She's a talent, she's terrific in Junebug and a
consummate pro and a really more impressive human being. And that's
sort of a musical fable, half-animation like old traditional 2D
animation, basically like Snow White if were then to become a real
human being in the middle of New York City. I worked an afternoon
for voiceover work on this new Conan voiceover animated film. And
then I'm getting ready to star in Hairspray, the movie based on the
musical, that's based on the movie.

Do you sing?

James Marsden: I do, yeah, not like, I'd never say I sing
professionally but I do it as sort of a hobby.

Bobby Moresco: I'm shooting a television show that me and Paul
Haggis, my partner on Crash, created for NBC called The Black
Donnellys. We go on the air in January; we're shooting it now, I'm
executive producing it. I'm writing a movie for Walden Pictures
called Heat, based on Mike Lupica's bestseller. And I have a comedy
I'm doing in May, I'm directing with Evangeline Lilly - my first
romantic comedy and I'm going to try and gaggle these guys in there.

How does that compare to doing a thriller?

Bobby Moresco: I don't know, it's my first one.

James Marsden: I mean obviously you've seen the comedy in this film!

10th & Wolf opens in limited theaters and cities August 18th; it's
rated R. Look for a wider expansion in the weeks to come.

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Une autre intevieuw (en français cette fois )

Voici l'interview qu'a accordé James Marsden au magazine américain "Cosmopolitan" à l'occasion de la sortie de GOSSIP en Avril 2000 et
le voici pour vous en exclusivité traduite en français.

Cosmopolitan : Quand t'étais plus jeune, quel était l'endroit dans ta ville (Stillwater, Oklahoma) où les gens allaient faire l'amour dans leurs voitures ?

James Marsden : Nous allions au lac Hefner. Une fois, un flic m'a attrapé en train de coucher avec ma copine dans ma voiture sur le siège arrière. J'étais mortifié !

Cosmopolitan : Ça fait cinq ans que tu es avec ta femme (Lisa Linde). Ça fait long à Hollywood ! Quel est votre secret ?

James Marsden : Passer du bon temps et profiter de la compagnie de l'autre. Je pense que ça ne doit pas être plus compliqué que ça pour durer.

Cosmopolitan : Qu'as-tu pensé des filles de Hollywood la première fois que tu es arrivés ici il y a plus de huit ans ?

James Marsden : J'étais déboussolé par leur impudence. J'ai vu des filles me pincer les fesses dans des bars. Je me disais : "Mais, est-ce que je suis supposé vous faire la même chose ???"

Cosmopolitan : Quelle est la première star que vous ayez rencontré ?

James Marsden : J'ai vu Demi Moore il y a très longtemps de cela, c'était au Planet Hollywood. Et elle m'a même parlé !!! Elle m'a demandé si je m'amusais bien.

Cosmopolitan : Ce n'était pas une des filles qui vous mettait une main au cul dans les bars, elle ...

James Marsden : Non, mais j'aurais bien aimé (rires).

Cosmopolitan : Racontez-nous ce qu'il se passe dans "Gossip" ("Fausses Rumeurs, en France).

James Marsden : Trois co-locataires à l'université décident, pour s'amuser, de lancer une rumeur terrifiante sur quelqu'un au hasard. Ils créent une histoire de toute pièce pour rendre la rumeur encore plus crédible. Mais rien ne se passe comme prévu, et quelque chose d'horrible arrive.

Cosmopolitan : As-tu déjà été victime de ragots, toi ?

James Marsden : Rien de bien méchant. On a dit que je portais des lentilles de couleur bleue, alors que c'est faux. Mes yeux sont mes yeux, vraiment !

Cosmoplitan : As-tu déjà été victime de la presse à scandale ?

James Marsden : Non. Je n'ai rien eu. En tout cas, pas encore.

Cosmopolitan : Pour eux, tu n'es rien tant que tu n'as fait un enfant qui ressemble à un alien...

James Marsden : Attends, je vais bientôt avoir ma propre figurine de Cyclops dans "X-Men".

Cosmopolitan : Est-ce que ta figurine va être toute lisse ou alors avec une anatomie normale pour un mec si tu vois ce que je veux dire... ?

James Marsden : Elle n'était pas terminée lorsque je l'ai vue, alors ils vont peut-être ajouter quelque chose plus tard. Peut-être vont-ils y ajouter un accessoire attachable...qui sait ?

Cosmopolitan : Dans "Sugar & Spice", tu joues aux côtés de la star du film "American Beauty", Mena Suvari. Quel rôle tiens-tu dans ce film ?

James Marsden : Je joue un mec à moitié idiot. Il met enceinte la chef des majorettes.

Cosmopolitan : Tu faisais du sport quand tu étais au lycée ?

James Marsden : Oui, jusqu'à ma première année d'université. Mais tout le monde avait le poids idéal pour le sport sauf moi alors j'ai fait du théâtre.

Cosmopolitan : Quand est-ce que les filles ont commencé à s'intéresser à toi ?

James Marsden : Lors de ma dernière année. J'ai été élu 3° dauphin du mec le plus attirant de la faculté. Mais ils ont pas dû trier les votes correctement !

Cosmopolitan : Combien de temps comptes-tu faire des films pour ados, parlant de campus universitaires ?

James Marsden : Je ne sais pas. En effet, dans "Sugar and Spice", je joue le rôle d'un lycéen, mais je ne veux pas faire comme dans "Grease", jouer un mec de 17 ans à 50 ans ! Dieu sait que le lycée c'est loin derrière moi déjà ! (James aura 28 ans en Septembre prochain).

Cosmopolitan : Quels sont les acteurs que tu admires ?

James Marsden : Je pense que Brad Pitt est génial et beaucoup de personnes ne lui donnent pas assez de crédit parce qu'ils ne voient en lui que le mec sexy et pensent "Il est mauvais acteur parce qu'il est beau", c'est ridicule ! Et il a prouvé le contraire.

Cosmopolitan : Tu te sens touché par ce dilemme ?

James Marsden : Je ne veux pas faire le pleurnichard parce que tous ceux qui vont lire vont dire "C'est ça, ouais ..." mais je tiens à dire que j'ai perdu le plus de rôles parce que les producteurs voulaient quelqu'un de plus "bizarre".

Cosmopolitan : Alors dis-nous, quelle est la chose la plus bizarre que tu ais du faire pour obtenir un rôle ?

James Marsden : L'un de mes premiers rôles était dans la série "Boogie's Dinner" et j'ai dû m'habiller en homme-sandwich en forme d'hot-dog !!! J'étais mortifié. J'suis venu à Hollywood pour être un sandwich ???


Copyright 2001 - Cosmopolitan / Matheson Entertainment. Tous droits réservés.
Photos : Matheson Entertainment
Texte : Cosmopolitan
Traduction : Chucky Matheson

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2 pages d'interview

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James Marsden Talks About "Heights," "X-Men 3," and "Superman Returns"
From Rebecca Murray,
Your Guide to Hollywood Movies.
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Interview with James Marsden
James Marsden on His First Reaction to the “Heights” Script: It’s difficult to discuss James Marsden’s role in “Heights” without giving anything away. The film follows a small group of New Yorkers whose stories intertwine because of romantic/family connections. Marsden plays Jonathan, a man on the verge of marriage who has serious issues he has to face before taking the big step.

“My agent sent me the script and the way I work with my agent, they'll send me scripts and they prioritize them as far as what they think is going to be good and what they think is — you know. So this had a big mark on it — like, ‘Read it, it's good.’ So I read it immediately. So that was how I got the project. They sent it to me and I read it and I called Chris and said, ‘I have a stack of scripts at home and this is the one that I couldn't put down and can't stop thinking about.’

There were some other great guy roles in that movie, and it's rare you get the sense that something's going to be really special. I just felt strongly enough about the project that I said, very whorishly, ‘I'll do anything in this movie. (laughs) I'll play any role.”

The Quality of the Supporting Cast: “I think it's a testament to the script. I think it's a testament to Merchant Ivory. They've got a pretty strong batting average for quality work. It's a big ensemble piece and the talent they were able to get together for this film is pretty astounding. …There's lots of surprises and it just shows that great actors and actresses want to be on board this because they feel like this is going to be something special.

[When I] think of Merchant Ivory, I think of elegant. I think the films that they have made have an elegance to them and — I sound like I'm using that word too much — but my ears perked up immediately when I knew that they were producing this. Five years ago, if someone were to ask me do you ever see yourself in a Merchant Ivory film, I would [say], ‘That would be great, but I doubt it.’ So I was very excited to hear that they were producing it. And it was great to see them do something that was contemporary and present day in New York. They usually do period films set in England or Paris. I think Ismail [Merchant] said that after 9/11 he wanted to do something set in modern-day New York. But if you just look at their films, they're very elegant filmmakers.”

James Marsden and Religion: Marsden’s character is Jewish, his bride-to-be in the movie isn’t, and the religious differences are a major plotline in the film. Marsden himself is not Jewish and admits that was one of his concerns when he read the script. Marsden said, “Obviously Jonathan was the character I really responded to. But when I sat down with Chris, I was so taken with the script and the story and everything, and how elegant the whole thing was, that I said, ‘I'll play any of these roles. Wherever you see most fit to put me in this movie, I'd be happy to be a part of it.’ And I said, ‘I don't know about Jonathan because I'm not Jewish.’ He said, ‘No, it's actually good because you're like Gwyneth Paltrow proclaiming her Jewish background — and Kate Hudson and all these…so it's good that you don't look Jewish.’ Then it kind of plays in the Rabbi's office — the back and forth. I like Christmas lights and she's not Jewish and does not like them…”

Passing Judgment on His Character in “Heights:” “I try to look at the characters that I play without judgment [and] with understanding. I try to understand what's going on with them. I wish I could say that it would be interesting for me to play characters that are not flawed, that always make the right decisions, but that's not really interesting to me.”

Marsden Analyzes His Character and Comparisons to the Love Triangle in “The Notebook:” While both “Heights” and “The Notebook” are ultimately love stories, the two films don’t share many other attributes. “The tone of 'The Notebook' is a different tone from this movie. But I like how real it felt to see somebody going through this and maybe being challenged with the idea of coming clean. [spoiler deleted] If somebody is hiding something that they don't necessarily even understand, they can suppress that at the expense of their sanity and their happiness so that they don't hurt somebody else.

I think that's where Jonathan's coming from. I think that because there's a part of him who's attracted to this other person, but there is a part of him that honestly wants to be with this woman. He wants to want to be with this woman, and I think he feels that if he shuts his eyes and just kind of lets it ride for a while that it will just go away. He feels like it's unfair to him, ‘Why have I been dealt this hand of — I'm attracted to two different people?’ And I don't know, it just feels very real to me.”

Marsden on "Heights," "Superman Returns," and "X-Men 3"
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James Marsden on His Character Feeling Trapped in "Heights:" “I think that as much of all of us would like it to be very black and white, I think we're really complex creatures and capable of a lot of nuances. Maybe you can be in love with two different people in two different ways. Maybe we might have the capacity to be able to do that. Is that a good thing? I don't know. But I just think we're really complex creatures and we don't always make the right decision.”

Speaking of Flawed Characters…: Marsden portrays Cyclops in the “X-Men” movie franchise, and will hopefully be returning for “X-Men 3.” “What are his flaws? Jealousy. In the comic — and we never really got into it in the movie, but he's very insecure about his power and felt responsible for anything that would ever go wrong, because he was the leader of the group and felt that he was damned because of this mutant power.