James Marsden Says He Has to ‘Master’ All of His Hobbies, Including Being a ‘Nerd’ About Watches

James Marsden Says He Has to ‘Master’ All of His Hobbies, Including Being a ‘Nerd’ About Watches

The actor tells PEOPLE about his deep love of the timepieces from IWC Schaffhausen and why he continues to partner with the brand

James Marsden doesn’t do things halfway.

The Disenchanted star, who has partnered with IWC Schaffhausen for years, admits that he’s a “nerd” when it comes to watches — and all of his hobbies — because he wants to know everything there is to know.

“I just have to immerse myself in all of it,” he says of his hobbies, one of which is collecting watches. “I have to master it, not to prove anything; I just can’t get enough information about it.”

His love for IWC Schaffhausen dates back to his Ally McBeal days in the early 2000s, he tells PEOPLE exclusively. When the show wrapped, the actor was gifted with an IWC Portofino watch, he says, and he fell in love with it right away.

“That was what lit the fuse to my enthusiasm,” Marsden, 49, says. “It was the first nice watch I’ve ever really owned. I began to slowly learn about them and learn about [IWC’s] history.”

Not too long after that, Marsden says he was preparing for a Met Gala when his stylist, Ilaria Urbanati, handed him another IWC watch to wear with his tux.

“It was just happenstance,” he says. “I was like, ‘Okay, well, this is written in the stars.'”

But rather than simply wear the watches and admire how “pretty” they are, Marsden did what he does with all of his hobbies — he learned everything. He met the team, he went to Switzerland to see how the timepieces are crafted, he joined the brand at events and he’s worn a number of watches for his own enjoyment.

“It’s one of these rare friendship-work relationships where these are your friends, but you are also just as much of a fan of the brand as you are the people who are involved with it,” Marsden says.

The luxury brand, which just opened the doors of a new boutique location in Palm Beach, Florida, in a partnership with Greenleaf & Crosby, specializes in classic timepieces that are built to last. And what Marsden loves so much about them is the fact that they aren’t splashy or “show-offy.”

“I like function; I like tool watches,” Marsden tells PEOPLE at the event celebrating the store’s opening. “I like something that has a purpose to it and on top of that is beautifully finished and looks very elegant. [IWC Schaffhausen] epitomizes that.”

Marsden rattles off a list of his favorite watches from the brand, including a Pilot Spitfire, a Portofino Chronograph and a Portugieser Chronograph. If you give the actor enough time, though, he’ll continue naming watches and features he likes, proving that he actually has mastered knowing all the fine details of the brand he admires.

The beautifully crafted watches start around $4,000 in price, but many are over $10,000. For Marsden, though, a luxury watch is a worthwhile investment if you can afford it — because you can hold onto it for years and years.

“I never went really crazy with fashion,” Marsden says of how he spent his first few big paychecks as an actor. “But luxury, boy, watches are what I would spend money on. To me, I could always argue you’re never going to lose that money on certain things. There are always going to be collector items, so essentially you’re making an investment.”

A classic watch ties in seamlessly with Marsden’s signature style, which he says is “effortless.” He’s quick to give credit to his stylist Urbanati for any fashion accolades he gets and notes that their relationship works well because she understands what he wants to wear.

“We would always talk about how there has to be an element of effortlessness,” he says of his process with Urbanati. “You don’t want to see the work put into it. [The outfit] can’t be wearing you. The people that I always think about are classic Marlon Brando or Paul Newman, where it’s simple but still beautiful. I think there’s a way of doing simplicity without it being boring. You can have elegance — so, that’s my foundation.”

And though the father of three is game for little bits of flair for a red carpet, he jokingly tells PEOPLE that he can’t compete with the style stars of today. The pastel Dolce & Gabbana suit he wore for the SAG Awards earlier this year was about as far outside his fashion box that he was willing to step.

“I wore a baby blue tuxedo to the SAG awards — I fought it for a while,” he says with a laugh before clarifying that he let Urbanati put him in “whatever” she wanted. “I always let her do that anyway; I don’t actually fight her.”

His stylist assured him that the suit was a winner, even though he felt like he belonged “on top of a wedding cake” somewhere.

“She said, ‘You wear this, you’ll get in GQ‘s best dressed,’ and sure enough, she was right.”

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Photos: 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones

Photos: 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones

Added new photos of James Marsden attending the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 12, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California.

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Public Appearances > Appearances from 2023 > March 12 – 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones

‘Jury Duty’ Trailer: James Marsden-led Comedy Creates Scripted Case Around a Real Juror

‘Jury Duty’ Trailer: James Marsden-led Comedy Creates Scripted Case Around a Real Juror

The unique comedy series sees a real person join a fake jury without realizing everyone else is an actor.

Amazon Freevee is debuting a very interesting documentary-style comedy series Jury Duty. The feature chronicles the inner workings of an American jury trial through the eyes of one particular juror, Ronald Gladden, a solar contractor from San Diego, who is unaware that this is not an official jury duty summons. The amusing trailer sees Gladden as a dutiful juror who doesn’t figure that the entire case is fake and everyone except him is an actor, including James Marsden. It builds some hilarious moments as everything that happens, inside the courtroom and outside, is scripted.

Marsden reveals in an official statement, “What interested me was the challenge of creating a hero’s journey for someone who has no idea the world around him was completely manufactured.” Adding, “Whether this high wire act could lead him to unite this family of wonderful weirdos and in the process become an inspiring leader for us all under the process of serving Jury Duty.” The premise does present the opportunity to create some epic comedic moments as the timing in the trailer looks perfect.

Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD Original Content and Unscripted Programming, at Amazon Studios, adds, “There are no guarantees but there’s ambition, creativity, pure comedy, and the desire to do something different but with great care. That’s what drew us to this wildly inventive idea from this incredible group of producers.” She further emphasized the themes of the series telling, “How does one respond when the most outlandish moments happen in something as seemingly mundane as jury duty? We hope audiences are pleasantly surprised by what they see and delighted by what the show says about humanity.”

Marsden stars as an alternate version of himself alongside an ensemble cast including Alan Barinholtz, Susan Berger, Cassandra Blair, David Brown, Kirk Fox, Ross Kimball, Pramode Kumar, Trisha LaFache, Mekki Leeper, Brandon Loeser, Edy Modica, Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola, Kerry O’Neill, Whitney Rice, Maria Russell, Ishmel Sahid, Ben Seaward, Ron Song, and Evan Williams.

Photos: “Party Down” 3×02 Screen Captures

Photos: “Party Down” 3×02 Screen Captures

Added HQ screencaps to the gallery of James Marsden in the second episode of “Party Down”.

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Television Shows > Party Down (2023) > 3×02 Jack Botty’s Delayed Post-Pandemic Surprise Party

Photos: 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

Photos: 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

Added new photos of James Marsden attending the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on February 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.

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Public Appearances > Appearances from 2023 > February 26 – 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

Photos: “Party Down” 3×01 Screen Captures

Photos: “Party Down” 3×01 Screen Captures

Added HQ screencaps to the gallery of James Marsden in the first episode of “Party Down”.

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Television Shows > Party Down (2023) > 3×01 Kyle Bradway Is Nitromancer

Photos: “Party Down” Season 3 Los Angeles Premiere

Photos: “Party Down” Season 3 Los Angeles Premiere

Added new photos of James Marsden attending the Red Carpet Premiere Of STARZ’s “Party Down” Season 3 at Regency Bruin Theatre on February 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. 

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Public Appearances > Appearances from 2023 > February 22 – “Party Down” Season 3 Los Angeles Premiere

Photos: 75th Directors Guild Of America Awards

Photos: 75th Directors Guild Of America Awards

Added new photos of James Marsden attending the 75th Directors Guild of America Awards at The Beverly Hilton on February 18, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. 

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Public Appearances > Appearances from 2023 > February 18 – 75th Directors Guild Of America Awards

Videos: “Party Down” Season 3 Official Trailer

Videos: “Party Down” Season 3 Official Trailer

Don’t miss the comeback of Party Down on February 24th on Lionsgate Plus and check out the new official trailer!

Photos: “Party Down” First Look!

Photos: “Party Down” First Look!

Entertainment Weekly has just debuted exclusive photos for the upcoming revival of the comedy show Party Down.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Evie is “a successful movie producer fresh off a breakup. As she’s reconsidering her life choices, this new relationship with Henry becomes a way for her to explore what else is out there.” Also joining the series revival as a fresh face is James Marsden. Marsden is playing Jack Botty, “a famous actor known for being the lead in a popular superhero franchise. He enjoys his life, his fame, and being the center of everyone’s attention.”

At the beginning of season 3, Henry and the rest of the catering team have moved on. A surprise reunion rears its head, and the cast of characters find themselves back serving at the whim of colorful, zany characters on the Los Angeles catered party circuit.

The initial run of the cult hit comedy debuted on Starz in 2009 with the ensemble Scott, Caplan, Marino, Lynch, Starr, and Hansen starring. Although, Lynch would then leave after the first eight episodes of the 10-episode first season in order to do Glee on Fox. Jennifer Coolidge came in to round out the cast for the last two episodes. Then, season two saw the addition of Megan Mullally as a regular member of the cast and Lynch would return to make an appearance in the season finale. Both seasons are available on the Starz app and streaming sites.

Party Down will be making its comeback on Starz on February 24. The show will stream on the channel’s app at midnight, then will air on the Starz channel later that night at 9 PM ET.

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