FYI, James Marsden Was Actually in a 'Saved by the Bell' Episode, and We're Freaking Out
Before Netflix's Dead to Me, we were used to seeing James Marsden as the guy who almost gets the girl. We’re talking about his roles in The Notebook and Enchanted, which portrayed him as the wrong fit for the female lead. And now, he’s the wrong guy for Judy and a criminal. But this isn’t his first time playing the villain. We’re throwing it all the way back to the early '90s to see one of James’s first roles on the silver screen.
Saved by the Bell fans might have kept up with Saved by the Bell: The New Class, the spin-off that ran from 1993–2000. In the premiere season, episode 7 followed a storyline about the highly-anticipated homecoming dance. Lindsay Warner is nominated for homecoming queen and Chad Westerfield, played by young Jimmy Marsden, wanted her attention.
In the episode “Homecoming King,” we see him schmoozing nerds, jocks, and everyone in between to get their votes. Though he’s likable at first, the new Saved by the Bell friend group starts to see through his act.
He considers taking Lindsay’s friend Megan, but changes his mind when he hears Lindsay broke up with her boyfriend Tommy. The group ultimately overthrows James’s character, and captures him confessing, “I’ve sucked up to every kid in school” over the speakerphone. The entire class hears it, which leads to Tommy winning the title of king. When he turns it down, a prideful Chad celebrates his win...alone.
Twenty six years later, James is starring as one of the most dynamic (not to mention, swoon-worthy) villains on Netflix’s Dead to Me. We can’t wait to figure out more (please let there be a season 2!), but until then, we’ll keep looking for old videos from his start as an actor.
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