Sebastian Kim/GQThere's no denying that James Marsden is famous.
Obviously, he's starred in numerous films and taken on a number of roles that you'll likely never forget. Plus, he has the charisma and charm to create scenes you'll always hold close to your heart (like the time he got up and sang "Benny and the Jets" in 27 Dresses...sigh).
But, Marsden is the first to admit that his career isn't exactly one like, say, George Clooney. He can go places and definitely turn some heads, but the facial expressions read more of a, "He's probably an actor or something," rather than, "Oh s--t, it's James Marsden."
Regardless, that's not something the actor minds one bit. In fact, the 42-year-old got very candid with GQ magazine for its October issue about his celebrity, and confessed that there's one A-lister whose career he would love to have if given the chance.
"James Dean has never been one of my guys. I don't want to be him. I will take boring anytime. I love boring! Are you kidding me?," he exclaims.
"Matt Damon has been one of my favorites forever. He always elevates every bit of material, and then you don't hear a thing about him. It's like, ‘No, I pretty much wear a T-shirt every day of my life, and I don't really have any dirt.' I love that. If you were to ask me what career I would choose, I'd be like, ‘That. One hundred percent.'"
Still, the course of his own career can cause some frustration at times. "If I wasn't me, I'd look at my stuff and go, ‘He's been in everything. Turn on the cable, and he's on there. Good movie, bad movie, good movie, bad movie.'"
Marsden continues, "We all want to be great. Of course. Everybody wants that. I'd be lying out of my ass if I told you that I didn't want to be. When I was younger, I used to feel like, ‘Yeah, there are certain roles out there that may go to other actors who are bigger than me and have more pull.' And that can be frustrating."
Ultimately, however, it's not the overwhelming fame that gains appeal for Marsden, who admits that some of his projects looked better on paper than on the big screen. He simply explains that what's important is choosing parts that are fun to play.
"If I'm picking the movies that people really like my performance in, what's the through line? Oh, I was f--king having a blast. You forget how nice it is to watch people just have a good time doing what they're doing."