“Anchorman 2” star James Marsden teams up with Old Spice to launch its new hair care and styling product lineup and “Hair That Gets Results” ad campaign at Sharps Barber and Shop in Le Parker Meridien Hotel during Super Bowl week in New York City on Jan. 31. Credit: Mark Von Holden/Invision for Old Spice/AP Images
James Marsden loves those wacky Old Spice commercials just as much as you do.
“They definitely make me laugh. The new one with the mom coming out of the bowling alley and then coming out of the sofa — it’s really, like, weirdly entertaining.”
We chatted up Marsden last week at Sharps Barber Shop at Le Parker Meridien Hotel in New York, where he was helping to launch the brand’s new hair care line. It includes a collection of “manly” shampoos, conditioners and styling products.
“I’ve been into their products for a long time and loving what they’re doing recently with some of the really interesting and funny ads,” Marsden says.
He gave us some pointers for guys trying to impress on Valentine’s Day.
“I would tell the guys: Don’t use too much product,” Marsden says. “Don’t overdo it. If you’re concerned or considering what you should do, less is more.”
Indeed, his own approach to grooming is a relaxed one.
“It should be effortlessly simple. Wash your hair, put some stuff in and go. No plucking.”
Marsden has experience getting that perfect hairstyle, most recently in “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,” in which he plays rival news anchor Jack Lime.
“It was great,” Marsden says. “Those guys are obviously the heavyweights when it comes to the improv world. Obviously we had a script and went in and did the scenes as scripted, but then we would very quickly get off of that and start to throw out ideas.”
He also talked about working with some of the funniest actors in the business.
“I was amazed at how selfless they were,” Marsden says. “Sometimes with comedians, they want the spotlight and they want to be the funniest, and these guys were very generous in how they set each other up for jokes. And they wanted everyone else to be funny and they were very welcoming of new talent coming in. It was a nice creative environment.”
As for the funniest “Anchorman” star?
“It was Will Ferrell,” Marsden confides to us. “I mean, Steve [Carell] is awesome too. Watching Steve bust up at Will was a daily thing.”
As for his plans on the national day of romance, Marsden has a new project in the works.
“I start working on a new movie on Valentine’s Day. It’s this movie with Jack Black. It’s called “Lawless” right now, but I think they’re changing the title. It’s a comedy.”
Hopefully, Marsden follows that up with a comical Old Spice commercial all his own.
