How James Marsden's Overuse of Poop-Scented Spray Nearly Tipped Off 'Jury Duty' Costar to Show's Setup
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
While filming, Ronald Gladden didn't know Freevee's 'Jury Duty' wasn't a real court case — and that the entire cast, except him, was in on it
James Marsden almost spoiled the Jury Duty secret for Ronald Gladden with one disgusting slip-up.
The Freevee court comedy centered on good-natured regular guy Gladden, who was selected for jury duty in Los Angeles — or so he thought. In fact, every single person around him — including Marsden, who played a ramped-up, egotistical version of himself — were actors playing out an elaborately set up comedy series that blended scripted throughlines and improvisation to keep up the ruse.
While filming an episode when Marsden clogged his costar's hotel bathroom toilet with a huge (fake) bowel movement, Gladden's 49-year-old Emmy-nominated fellow "juror" nearly blew the whole operation when he got a little too overzealous with scented spray in hopes of making the dump-and-dash believable.
“Marsden was spraying more and more," showrunner Cody Heller told EW's The Awardist podcast. “He's like, 'I don't think it smells enough.' He's spraying more and more. And then right before Ronald came back in, he was like, 'It doesn't smell enough.' So he sprayed a little bit more right on the doorframe."
While the joke ultimately went off without a hitch, the star had a last-minute panic over giving away the game. While the room was professionally cleaned, Marsden remembered the doorframe — which could easily be missed by the cleaning crew.
“That night I get a text from Marsden in the middle of the night and he's like, 'Oh my God, I'm really worried. I think I sprayed some of the liquid poo right on the doorframe. And what if they didn't clean it, and Ronald realizes it, and he smells that it's on the doorframe?'" Heller added.
To Marsden’s relief, Gladden never noticed. That can be added to a whole list of things Gladden believed were real — from the wacky jurors he met on the job to the almost unbelievable case itself.
Of course, at the end of it all, Gladden was let in on the joke. And while it took him "months" to process that such a huge trick had been played on him, he's been rewarded for his good nature — he instantly became a fan favorite, a real-life friend to the show's cast and crew, and he'll likely get to attend the upcoming Emmy Awards in support of the show's and Marsden's nods.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Season 1 of Jury Duty is now streaming in full on Freevee.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
