James Marsden Opens Up About His Hilariously Awkward SNL Audition

James Marsden might be a Hollywood success story, but even he has moments he’d rather rewrite — like his audition for Saturday Night Live. The Jury Duty star, 51, shared the hilarious yet cringe-worthy tale on the December 18 episode of Live with Kelly and Mark.

Years ago, a young James and a drama classmate decided to chase a dream. “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. 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,” he stated.

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

Though he didn’t make the cut, the actor’s love for comedy never faded. During the interview, James revealed that he once told 30 Rock creator Tina Fey about his dream of being an SNL cast member. 

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos agreed it’s time for him to take the iconic SNL stage — not as a cast member, but as a host. “Yeah, host the show and do the clucky chicken,” Mark teased.

Despite the SNL setback, James’ career has soared. His role in Jury Duty, the Amazon Freevee mockumentary, earned him a Golden Globe nomination in January 2024. Playing a parody of himself, James shone alongside quirky characters and one unsuspecting non-actor who thought the jury experience was real.

Though he didn’t take home the award (Matthew Macfayden won for Succession), James celebrated a special moment with his mom, Kathleen. After the ceremony, she texted him, “My favorite moment of tonight was when they had your picture up with the other five nominees. 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.”

James shared the heartfelt message on Instagram with the caption, “My mom, I love you,” adding a red heart emoji.

Up next, James is gearing up for the December 20 release of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Earlier this year, he also promoted roles in Michael Keaton’s Knox Goes Away and Jerry Seinfeld’s Unfrosted.