James Marsden on playing jerk on ‘Jury Duty’ — and how Ronald Gladden kept him in check

Hello! I’m Yvonne Villarreal, TV writer for The Times and “The Envelope” podcast co-host.

We’re back with another season, and we’re kicking things off with actor James Marsden, who stars in Freevee’s comedy “Jury Duty.” In “Jury Duty,” the entire cast and crew stage a fake trial. Everyone is in on the joke, except for one person: Ronald Gladden, a 30-year-old contractor from San Diego.

Marsden plays a hilarious Hollywood jerk version of himself — a far cry from his past roles in “X-Men” and “Enchanted” — but stops short of making Gladden the butt of the joke. In fact, Gladden emerges as a kind of lovable hero. By the time we reach the big reveal, the show is just as heartwarming as it is comedic.

Marsden and I discussed how the cast and crew managed to pull it all off (despite moments where they thought they might not) and how — despite his very believable performance — he strives to keep ego from ruining his reputation in real life.

We also got to chat about Marsden’s start in Hollywood, his resistance to being typecast as “the guy with the blue eyes and cheekbones,” and why he passed on “Magic Mike.”

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts or on latimes.com, where you can also read the full transcript. We have a new YouTube channel, too!