LOS ANGELES ? ?I?m not shy about nudity,? James Marsden recently said in an interview, and he proves it in the comedy, ?Death at a Funeral.? Playing Zoe Saldana?s fiancé who takes acid by mistake, the ?Enchanted? and ?X-Men? star climbs onto the roof and does the full monty before the mourners.

James steals the movie with his performance that reveals not only his backside, but also his comic chops. Many critics wrote that he is the best thing in Neil LaBute?s American remake of a 2007 British film about how a patriarch?s funeral ceremony brings surprises and exposes secrets. Other stars include Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover, Tracy Morgan and Luke Wilson.

Situation

?All of that nudity ? hanging from the roof naked ? was in the script,? James stated. ?I always thought that if I was going to do nudity, I?d be more comfortable doing it in a comedy than in something that would be taken seriously. There?s something about being seriously naked that?s a bit daunting. If I know that it?s for a joke, then it would be easier for me to take it all off. I don?t know what that says about how I view myself. It?s the ridiculousness of the situation ? my character is one of a handful of white people at a predominantly black funeral, and he?s on top of a roof butt-naked. Just the idea made me laugh!?

?I didn?t think twice about going nude, but was I comfortable?? he repeated a question. ?No. We shot most of the nudity in a pretty closed environment, but it wasn?t a closed set. I remember how Luke Wilson came up to me, going, ?Marsden, why didn?t you ask for a closed set, man? There?s like 500 people here ?usually, there are 50. They got all these people showing up to see your naked ass.? Maybe I?m an exhibitionist, but it was never comfortable.?

James said that was all him, in the flesh ? except for scenes that required a stunt guy. ?There are a few shots where they used a stunt guy who looks like Arnold Schwarzenegger,? he disclosed with a chuckle. ?The double just doesn?t match, but there are wide shots, and he?s hanging, doing an actual stunt. I remember the shot of Columbus [Short] grabbing me. Neil kept saying, ?Let?s go to a 35.? They kept changing lenses and going, ?All right now, let?s push in a little bit.? I was like, ?How much do you really need of this shot?? As an actor, you just cross your fingers and hope that it works for the humor.?

?I read the script for the first time on a flight from New York to LA,? James recounted, saying his seatmate was looking at him, wondering why he was laughing out loud. ?I thought it was hysterical! I didn?t know there was a British version of the film. I thought this was an original farce.?

?Selfishly, I thought my character was the funniest in the script,? James admitted. Thanks to his execution of the role, James? Oscar is indeed the reason to see the film.

?I tried to stay in shape since ?X-Men,?? James answered on whether he had to work out rigorously for the rooftop scene. Grinning, he said, ?As an actor, you never know when you?re going to have to be naked many more times. Vanity does kick in to a certain degree. I was trying to stay in shape, because I didn?t want to be immortalized on film looking like I?m not in good shape.?

Laughing, James revealed, ?Zoe and I were counting the calories at lunch together because, at the time, she was getting ready to do her ?Star Trek? international tour. Zoe was trying to watch her figure, as well, so I was such a girl with her ? like I was her girlfriend at lunch, going, ?Look at that steamed broccoli. I wish I could eat it!??

Pitch-perfect

James acknowledged that Alan Tudyk?s take of the same role in the original film was a tough act to follow. By coincidence, some critics also wrote that Alan?s portrayal was the highlight of the Brit movie. James remarked, ?Alan?s performance was pitch-perfect, so the work that was cut out for me was, how do I make this my own and not just duplicate what he did? Alan was phenomenal.?

?I?ve never taken acid in my life,? James answered when asked how he approached the role of a man on a hallucinatory experience.

?The most fruitful thing I did for research was talk to the crew. All you do is follow the gaffer with the long ponytail and ask him about the ?70s. He was a wealth of information!?

As far as reality in his own life is concerned, James shared that life in the Marsden household with two kids is not boring. ?No, not at all,? he stressed. ?We?re naked all the time. My son is 9 years old, and he still walks around naked like he?s 4, so??
He joked about what the neighbors might be saying: ?Let?s see the naked Marsden family.? James laughed and quipped, ?Just stop by any time!?

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