James Marsden: Being virtuous not always the sexiest thing

MUMBAI: Hollywood star James Marsden feels being virtuous might not always be the sexiest option and can get boring at times, but he likes to celebrate the good through his roles and the stories.

That is what he is trying to do in his latest show "The Stand", which is based on Stephen King's bestselling novel of the same name. He plays the role of ordinary guy Stu Redman, who gets caught in an apocalyptic pandemic.

"We love our anti heroes right now. I think 'Batman Begins' began the whole thing. All of a sudden Superman is not that interesting and Batman is the hero, but not without a dark side," Marsden said while talking about his decision to play the good guy in the age of anti-heroes.

"I know being a good person and being virtuous is not always the sexiest or flashiest thing. And sometimes it can even be boring to watch. But I also think that in the face of real, humbling uncertainty, and this sort of apocalyptic crisis that's happening, people want to lean on humans that have strong opinions on what is right," he added.

The Hollywood star continued: "And a sort of dedication to restoring stability and using virtues like kindness and decency… All of those attributes that may again, be kind of like milk, toasty, boring, but I like to celebrate those characters."

"We need more people like that in the world, or we need to bring that out in more people in the world. Because I do think that exists. He (Stu) is a reluctant hero. I don't think he chooses to be the leader here. I think he's just a guy who is simply trying to do the right thing and who has got a strong moral code.

"So, I like the boring good guys, who remain optimistic. I never want to get cynical in my life. We all have our dark sides, and we all have our dragons that we wrestle with. But I like to celebrate the people who choose to do the right thing when no one's looking. And I think Stu embodies that," added Marsden, who is known for roles in films like "The Notebook", "X-Men", "Superman Returns", "Enchanted", "27 Dresses" and "Death at a Funeral".

Also starring Whoopi Goldberg, Alexander Skarsgard and Amber Heard, "The Stand" offers a peek into Stephen King's apocalyptic vision of a world decimated by plague and embroiled in a struggle between good and evil. The show streams in India on Voot Select.