LOS ANGELES — Amazon Freevee’s “Jury Duty” takes a documentary-style court docket case deep dive by means of the eyes of juror Ronald Gladden, with one vital twist.
Gladden would not know that the gonzo authorized proceedings in the eight-part sequence are solely faux, proper right down to “Westworld” star James Marsden pretending to be an alternate juror and a hilariously self-absorbed model of himself.
In “Jury Duty,” (first 4 episodes now streaming, then weekly on Fridays) everybody besides Ronald is an improv actor – Marsden, the opposite 11 jury members, the choose, the bailiff, and the 12 faux witnesses giving phony testimony.
“It’s all a farce,” says Marsden of the sequence, filmed in a real courtroom meant to dupe Gladden, who believes he is a juror in the weirdest court docket case.
Setting up the 17-day ruse was hilarious and authorized, says govt producer Cody Heller, who admits to having some considerations throughout filming.
“Our biggest joke was that the next season of ‘Jury Duty’ was going to be us on trial for trying to make this show,” says Heller. “It was truly the most insane endeavor of my life.”
Here’s how the dysfunction in the court docket went:
‘Jury Duty’ reveals a faux case in a real courtroom
Heller found early in the method that it would have been unlawful to faux a legal trial. So “Jury Duty” revolves round a sham civil case over a office dispute, with a bogus plaintiff and defendant.
Gladden, 30, a Home Depot challenge supervisor from San Diego, was one among 4,000 candidates responding to a Craigslist advert in search of Southern California individuals to serve on a jury and participate in a courtroom documentary (which explains the digital camera crew) for pay.
The proceedings have been held in the vacant Huntington Park Superior Court, 16 miles southeast of Los Angeles, which was final used as a group Halloween haunted home.
“There was no electricity. There were just spider webs and fake zombies,” says Heller. “Our crew went in there to rehab the entire thing. Within weeks it was a functioning courthouse again.”
James Marsden performed James Marsden the Hollywood narcissist star
Marsden performed an exaggerated model of himself, a name-dropping Hollywood star compelled to serve on jury obligation, however at all times aiming to get kicked off the case. He even units up paparazzi to invade the court docket.
“I had to do this dance that I’m so narcissistic,” says Marsden. “It’s like ‘I’ve got to get out of this, I have a big movie coming and my fame will be a distraction.'”
But Gladden solely vaguely acknowledged Marsden, and was solely barely acquainted with his work.
Throughout each interplay with Gladden over 17 days, Marsden and different individuals could not blow the key. “It was a full high-wire act,” says Marsden. “If somebody screwed up, said the wrong person’s name or was in the wrong place. That was it. That’s where the excitement came from.”
Keeping the gag unrevealed was tough in moments, similar to when the protection legal professional introduced an beginner video recreation of a work incident on the heart of the civil case.
“The defense played this awful one-dimensional video for the jury, but that was our first time seeing it,” says Marsden. “We all started laughing. But it worked because you would’ve laughed at that video in real life.”
‘Hero’ juror was surrounded by ‘misguided weirdos’
Gladden fell for the weird proceedings, however producers ensured “he was never the butt of the joke,” says Marsden. Instead, “We put (Gladden) on a hero’s journey and surrounded him with these completely wonky, misguided weirdos.”
No matter what the state of affairs – from courtroom outbursts to Marsden childishly destroying a cake at a group picnic – Gladden got here off higher than anybody anticipated. He befriended one weird juror, Todd, who was chastised by the choose for making an attempt to put on his self-invented “chairpants” (a chair constructed into pants) to court docket.
“Todd was meant to creep Ronald out,” says Marsden. “Instead Ronald took Todd under his wing and taught him about embracing yourself. Ronald was a gem of a person.”
After the charade was revealed by the presiding choose (Alan Barinholtz, the daddy of actors Ike and Rob, who had as soon as been a prosecuting legal professional) Gladden was shocked, however laughed in regards to the elaborate set-up.
“Ronald turned out to be a prince who is still friends with the people he met making this show,” Marsden says.
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This article initially appeared on USA TODAY: ‘Jury Duty’ comedy fakes civil trial with narcissistic James Marsden
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