The ever-so-charming James Marsden has attracted plenty of fans with his performances in movies like Enchanted (Prince Edward), the X-Men series (Cyclops), and The Notebook (Lon Hammond). But at the same time, all his characters in these movies have in one way or another emboldened his personality as the guy who never gets the girl.
In the musical fantasy, Robert Philip ends up with Giselle ahead of Edward, and in the Marvel comics-based universe, Jean Grey rejects Cyclops for Wolverine. The Notebook was perhaps his most heart-breaking role that saw his character Lon lose Allie to Ryan Gosling’s Noah Calhoun. However, despite his ill-fated role in Gosling’s film, Marsden managed to catch the attention of Julia Roberts, which eventually led to him landing a role in Hairspray.
How Julia Roberts Helped James Marsden Get a Role in Hairspray
The Notebook is a love story about Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams), but it is James Marsden‘s Lon Hammond who emerges as the movie’s most-loved character.
After believing Noah has forgotten her, Allie moves on with her life and ends up meeting Lon during her service as a nurse. She subsequently falls in love with the rich and charming soldier, who asks her to marry him, and she accepts his proposal. However, after finding out about Noah building her the house of her dreams, McAdams’s character returns to her former lover.
In all this, Lon patiently waits for her and even allows her time to clear her head, but still fails to win over Allie’s affection in front of Noah.
Regardless, Marsden did end up winning over the hearts of many fans after the movie, including Julia Roberts. The Pretty Woman star crossed paths with the actor in a New York bar where incidentally Marsden was meeting Adam Shankman, the director of Hairspray. He recalled the meeting to The Guardian:
“I’d never seen her before in my life. She said, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt but The Notebook is my favourite movie – and you’re so good in it.’ I just leapt out of my chair and gave her a hug. I remember Adam going, ‘I think you got the part!’”
The 50-year-old got the part of Corny Collins, the anchor of The Corny Collins Show in the 2007 musical starring John Travolta.
What James Marsden Said About Reactions of Fans About His Ill-Fated Role in Ryan Gosling’s Film
There’s no doubt that the stint in The Notebook proved a great career choice for Marsden, opening doors for plenty of other opportunities. However, to this day, Marsden’s fans don’t let him forget about the ill-fated conclusion for Lon in Gosling’s movie.
Speaking to W Magazine earlier this year, he revealed that social media often brings the ending of The Notebook back into the conversation. He said:
“The Notebook is a big one. Now, a younger audience is going, “She should have been with him [Marsden’s character]! Allie was in a toxic relationship!”
Marsden also brilliantly explained how the perception of movies and opinions of fans have changed over the years, suggesting during the time of The Notebook, viewers liked the bad boy. Now everyone wants heroes to be good guys.
