>> Stephen: THERE WE GO. WELCOME BACK, LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN. FOLKS.
FOLKS AND SUCH. Y'ALL KNOW MY GUEST
TONIGHT FROM "ENCHANTED," "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG,"
AND "WESTWORLD." HE NOW STARS IN "JURY DUTY."
>> ANYONE HERE HAVE ANY REASON WHY THEY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY
WOULD BE A GOOD JUROR FOR THIS CASE?
>> YES. I FEEL LIKE THERE'S A CHANCE
THAT I MIGHT BE AN UNWELCOME DISTRACTION.
>> WHY IS THAT, SIR? BECAUSE I'M A RECOGNIZABLE
PUBLIC FIGURE. >> RESPECTFULLY, I DON'T
RECOGNIZE YOU. I'M SORRY.
WHO ARE YOU? >> THAT'S OKAY.
MY MOST RECENT MOVIE IS "SONIC THE HEDGEHOG.
"THIS GENTLEMAN AND I WERE CHATTING ABOUT IT AND HE'S A BIG
FAN. >> YOU WERE TALKING TO THIS
GENTLEMAN? STAND UP.
DO YOU KNOW WHO THIS FELLA IS? >> YEAH, I DO.
IT TOOK ME LITTLE BIT TO NOTICE IT BUT I RECOGNIZE HIM.
>> Stephen: WELCOME BACK TO THE LATE SHOW,"
JAMES MARSDEN. ♪ ♪
>> James: MY GOODNESS. >> Stephen: THERE YOU GO.
>> James: WOW. VERY NICE.
>> Stephen: NICE. >> James: WHAT DID YOU PUT IN
THEIR DRINKS? >> Stephen: NOTHING.
JUST TOLD THEM YOU WERE COMING OUT.
>> James: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IT'S VERY KIND OF YOU.
>> Stephen: WE ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE SHOW "JURY DUTY"
BUT I'M GOING TO TELL YOU HOW GRATEFUL I AM OF THE SHOW
EXISTS. I WAS IN THE BAD WEEKEND,
WORRYING ABOUT THE STRIKE POSSIBLY HAPPENING AND I SAID
LET'S WATCH SOMETHING FUNNY. I HEAR "JURY DUTY IS GOOD.
WE WATCHED ALL EIGHT EPISODES IN ONE SITTING.
IT'S HILARIOUS. >> James: THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: IT'S ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN YOU
DO AND IT'S SUCH A STRANGE CONCEPT.
TELL THE PEOPLE WHAT IT IS. >> James: OKAY.
SO THE SHOW IS ESSENTIALLY, IF ANYONE IS FAMILIAR WITH THE
TRUMAN SHOW, IT'S BASICALLY THE TRUMAN SHOW MEETS "THE OFFICE."
YOU'RE ALREADY GOING, WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?
IT'S ME PLAYING MYSELF, SORT OF HEIGHTENED SENSATIONALIZED,
ENTITLED HOLLYWOOD JERK VERSION OF MYSELF AND A BUNCH OF
IMPROVISATIONAL ACTORS WHO ARE BRILLIANT.
ONE GUY THAT THINKS THE WHOLE THING IS REAL.
SPENT THREE WEEKS ON JURY DUTY AND IT'S ALL MANUFACTURED AND
FAKE. >> Stephen: AND HE'S THE ONLY
ONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW THAT EVERYONE ELSE AS AN ACTOR.
>> James: THE ONLY ONE. HIDDEN CAMERAS.
HE THINKS HE'S BEING FOLLOWED AROUND BY A CAMERA CREW FOR A
BORING DOCUMENTARY ABOUT JURY DUTY THAT'S GOING TO END UP ON
PUBLIC ACCESS OR SOMETHING. MEANWHILE, WE ARE FOLLOWING
EVERY MOVE. SEVEN OR EIGHT SCRIPTS THAT HAD
COMDIC BEATS. LEE EISENBERG AND GENE
STUPNITSKY WHO CREATED "THE OFFICE.
QUICKLY THERE WAS NO SCRIPTED DIALOGUE SO WAS MOSTLY
IMPROVISATION. >> Stephen: HOW DID YOU KNOW
HOW FAR YOU COULD PUSH IT WITHOUT TIPPING YOUR HAND?
FIRST OF ALL, YOU PLAY JAMES MARSDEN.
IT'S NOT LIKE YOU'RE PLAYING SOMETHING LSE.
YOU'RE RECOGNIZABLE. YOU ARE PLAYING JAMES MARSDEN, A
HOLLYWOOD ACTOR WHO DOESN'T WANT TO BE ON JURY DUTY AND YOU ARE
ACTING SUPER ENTITLED. I'M GLAD YOU SAY THAT'S NOT WHAT
YOU LIKE. IT'S REALLY WONDERFULLY
HILARIOUSLY AWFUL VERSION OF WHAT YOU MIGHT BE LIKE.
>> James: IT'S NICE TO SEE MY TRUE SELF COME OUT.
30 YEARS OF FAKING THE GOOD GUY THING.
IT'S NICE. >> Stephen: YOU COULD PRETEND
THAT WASN'T YOU AND JUST LET THE REAL YOU COME OUT.
>> James: IT WAS EXCITING TO ME TO SEND UP HOLLYWOOD A LITTLE
BIT. SORT OF LAMPOON WHAT I DO.
I TAKE WHAT I DO FOR LIVING VERY SERIOUSLY BUT SOMETIMES IT'S
LIKE, THIS IS ABSURD. SO TO MAKE FUN OF THE GUYS WHO
THINK THE ONLY CONVERSATIONS SHOULD BE HAD ABOUT THEIR IMDB
PAGE. TO BE GIVEN PERMISSION TO SAY
THE MOST HORRIBLE THINGS YOU CAN THINK OF.
AND BE THE WORST PERSON IN THE ROOM.
>> Stephen: AND DO SOME HORRIBLE THINGS.
I'M NOT GOING TO GET INTO DETAIL.
UNSAVORY THINGS. HOW DID YOU KNOW HOW FAR TO PUSH
IT? YOU AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE
CAST, DID YOU DISCUSS WHAT THE LIMITS WHERE?
HOW DOES HE NOT KNOW SOMETHING IS GOING ON.
AT ONE POINT YOU HELP A YOUNG COUPLE BIG LOVE TO EACH OTHER BY
JUMPING ON THEIR BED. >> James: I DO.
I HELPED THEM SOAK, AS THEY CALL IT.
>> Stephen: YES. >> James: GREAT QUESTION.
>> Stephen: THANK YOU. >> James: YOU'RE WELCOME.
THE IDEA WAS HERE WERE THE SCRIPTED BEATS THAT WE HAVE TO
FIND MOMENTS FOR HER. AT THE BEGINNING WE WERE WORRIED
HE WOULD GET SUSPICIOUS SO WE HAD TO MAKE DEPOSITS INTO THE
REALITY BANK. LET'S DO THREE OR FOUR HOURS OF
JUST BORING COURT. WE HAD, VERY LUCKY.
WE HAD SOMEONE PLAY THE JUDGE WHO WANTED TO BE AN ACTOR.
HE WAS THE DEFENSE ATTORNEY FOR HIS WHOLE CAREER SO HE KNEW THE
LEGALESE IN THE SPEAK. WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO SET THE
STAGE AND BE LIKE, THIS CAN'T BE A SHOW BECAUSE IT'S THE MOST
BORING FIVE HOURS. ANY TIME HE GET SUSPICIOUS, THE
DIRECTORATE SAY WE'VE GOT TO PULL BACK A LITTLE BIT.
FIND MOMENTS TO PUSH THE COMPANY BEATS THAT WERE WRITTEN IN THE
SCRIPT. KNOWING THAT WE WOULD SOMETIMES
HAVE A LOT -- CAN WE BE SUBJECTED TO REALLY BORING COURT
DAYS. >> Stephen: WAS ANYBODY
TALKING TO YOU? >> James: A FEW PEOPLE HAD
EARPIECES IN. I WAS TOO SCARED HE WAS GOING TO
SEE IT AND I JUST WANTED TO HAVE A LONG LEASH AND BE IN CONTROL
OF THE SHIP. I WANTED TO FLY WITHOUT A NET.
AND BE HORRIBLE JAMES MARSDEN. >> Stephen: WHAT I LOVE IS,
WITHOUT GIVING ANYTHING AWAY, I LOVE THE FACT THEY ARE ACTUALLY
NOT A JUROR. YOU ARE AN ALTERNATE.
>> James: LIKE WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE THIS GUY --
CRUSH'S EGO EVEN MORE. >> Stephen: YOU GO THROUGH
EVERYTHING AND YOU DON'T EVEN GET TO VOTE.
>> James: I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL ANYTHING BUT YEAH, HE
HASN'T TAKEN TO WELL. THE GENTLEMAN, I THINK THE
REASON WHY THE SHOW IS, FIRST OF ALL I'VE NEVER BEEN A PART OF
SOMETHING THAT HAS GONE SO METEORIC SO QUICKLY.
THIS SHOW CAME OUT ON FRIDAY. SATURDAY WAS SAYING "JURY DUTY."
I THINK IT'S ALL BECAUSE THIS GUY, RONALD GLADDEN, I DON'T
KNOW IF YOU'VE SEEN IT, ONE OF THE MOST PURE HEARTED, KIND,
DECENT HUMAN BEINGS. >> Stephen: I DON'T THINK IT
WOULD'VE BEEN AS GOOD WITHOUT HIM AT THE CENTER OF IT BECAUSE
HE MAKES THE RIGHT ETHICAL CHOICES.
>> James: NOT THAT WE WERE PRESENTING HIM WITH A MORAL
OBSTACLE COURSE BUT FROM THE BEGINNING, I WAS LIKE, I DON'T
WANT TO DO A PRANK SHOW. THREE WEEKS IS A LONG TIME TO
MESS WITH SOMEBODY'S HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
>> James: BUT IT'S NOT, IT'S AN INTERESTING EXPLORATION.
GIVES YOU FAITH IN MANKIND THIS FELLA IS BEING SO KIND TO ALL OF
YOU WHO ARE SO [BLEEP] UP. >> James: [LAUGHS]
I DON'T SEE ANY PROBLEM WITH WHAT I DO.
NO, THAT'S IT. THEY SAID WE WANT TO CREATE A
HERO'S JOURNEY FOR THIS MAN AND WE'RE GOING TO SURROUND HIM WITH
THE BUNCH OF BIZARRE, ECCENTRIC WEIRDOS.
SEE HOW HE REACTS. HEALTHY BY THE END OF IT HE WILL
HAVE HIS MOMENT AND UNITE ALL OF US AND INSPIRE US.
WE WILL GO HEY, IT WAS ALL FAKE. HOPEFULLY HE DOESN'T HAVE A
MENTAL BREAKDOWN. >> Stephen: YEAH.
WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK BUT DON'T GO NOWHERE.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH JAMES MARSDEN, EVERYBODY.