James Marsden Reminisces on His FailedSaturday Night LiveAudition: 'It Was a Bad Choice'

Mar. 15, 2025

James Marsdenhas some regrets about hisSaturday Night Liveauditionyears ago.The actor, 51, appeared on the Wednesday, Dec. 18 episode ofLive with Kelly and Mark, where he opened up about the time he auditioned — “if you can call it that,” he quipped — to be onSNL.While he didn’t land the role, Marsden joked about the story that came out of it.“They did a nationwide talent search and a friend of mine in my drama class, or whatever, who I used to do these humorous sketches with, said, ‘Let’s go down and audition for it,’” he explained. “I think they made us do… It wasn’t even something like, ‘Create an interesting character,’ or whatever. It was like, ‘Do whatever silly thing you want to do.’ I don’t know why we chose to do this, but we clucked like chickens and just walked around each other.”“Yeah, it was a bad choice,” he added.James Marsden.Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via GettyWhen hostsKelly RipaandMark Consuelossuggested he host the famed late-night sketch comedy show, Marsden said he’d “love to,” but revealed his bigger desire.“I did30 Rockfor a bit withTina Fey, and I said, ‘You know, my dream was always to be onSNL,’” he recalled. “And she goes, ‘Oh, well, you’ll host at some point.’ And I go, ‘No, as a regular. I wanna be the guys!’”“She was like, ‘Well, you probably can if you want to,’” he revealed. “But yeah, I just love doing impressions and different characters.”“It’s time for you to host that show,” Ripa then said as Consuelos cleverly chimed in: “Yeah, host the show and do the clucky chicken.”Although he didn’t make it ontoSNL,Marsden has found massive success in his career. In January 2024, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role onJury Duty,in which he played an exaggerated version of himself on the hilarious Amazon Freevee mockumentary.The show followed a cast of actors who embodied quirky American citizens called to serve on a jury, along with one unknowing non-actor, Richard Gladden, who thought the whole experience was real.James Marsden.Rodin Eckenroth/GettyHe ended up losing the award toMatthew Macfaydenfor his role in HBO’sSuccession, but Marsden shared a screenshot later that night showinghis mom Kathleen’s sweet messageabout his nomination.“My favorite moment of tonight was when they had your picture up with the other five nominees,” she gushed in the text. “Just like I’ve seen all my life of different nominee pics all together like that. And I [am] saying to myself — my son is one of the 6 chosen and there he is up on the tv screen next to the other nominees. MY son did that. I can’t quit smiling.“Marsden captioned the photo, “My mom, I love you,” with a red heart emoji.He is currently gearing up for the Dec. 20 premiere of the upcoming movieSonic the Hedgehog 3after promoting his roles inMichael Keaton’sKnox Goes AwayandJerry Seinfeld’sUnfrostedearlier this year.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Live with Kelly and Markairs weekday mornings on ABC (check local listings).

James Marsdenhas some regrets about hisSaturday Night Liveauditionyears ago.

The actor, 51, appeared on the Wednesday, Dec. 18 episode ofLive with Kelly and Mark, where he opened up about the time he auditioned — “if you can call it that,” he quipped — to be onSNL.While he didn’t land the role, Marsden joked about the story that came out of it.

“They did a nationwide talent search and a friend of mine in my drama class, or whatever, who I used to do these humorous sketches with, said, ‘Let’s go down and audition for it,’” he explained. “I think they made us do… It wasn’t even something like, ‘Create an interesting character,’ or whatever. It was like, ‘Do whatever silly thing you want to do.’ I don’t know why we chose to do this, but we clucked like chickens and just walked around each other.”

“Yeah, it was a bad choice,” he added.

James Marsden.Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty

Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty

When hostsKelly RipaandMark Consuelossuggested he host the famed late-night sketch comedy show, Marsden said he’d “love to,” but revealed his bigger desire.

“I did30 Rockfor a bit withTina Fey, and I said, ‘You know, my dream was always to be onSNL,’” he recalled. “And she goes, ‘Oh, well, you’ll host at some point.’ And I go, ‘No, as a regular. I wanna be the guys!’”

“She was like, ‘Well, you probably can if you want to,’” he revealed. “But yeah, I just love doing impressions and different characters.”

“It’s time for you to host that show,” Ripa then said as Consuelos cleverly chimed in: “Yeah, host the show and do the clucky chicken.”

Although he didn’t make it ontoSNL,Marsden has found massive success in his career. In January 2024, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role onJury Duty,in which he played an exaggerated version of himself on the hilarious Amazon Freevee mockumentary.

The show followed a cast of actors who embodied quirky American citizens called to serve on a jury, along with one unknowing non-actor, Richard Gladden, who thought the whole experience was real.

James Marsden.Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

He ended up losing the award toMatthew Macfaydenfor his role in HBO’sSuccession, but Marsden shared a screenshot later that night showinghis mom Kathleen’s sweet messageabout his nomination.

“My favorite moment of tonight was when they had your picture up with the other five nominees,” she gushed in the text. “Just like I’ve seen all my life of different nominee pics all together like that. And I [am] saying to myself — my son is one of the 6 chosen and there he is up on the tv screen next to the other nominees. MY son did that. I can’t quit smiling.”

Marsden captioned the photo, “My mom, I love you,” with a red heart emoji.

He is currently gearing up for the Dec. 20 premiere of the upcoming movieSonic the Hedgehog 3after promoting his roles inMichael Keaton’sKnox Goes AwayandJerry Seinfeld’sUnfrostedearlier this year.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Live with Kelly and Markairs weekday mornings on ABC (check local listings).

source: people.com