James Marsden Finally Breaks Silence on Westworld Cancelation
Westworld star revealed he was disappointed by the cancelation of the sci-fi series and still hoping to return to his role as Teddy Flood.
Westworld is the dystopian sci-fi western series that became one of the biggest HBO hits when it was first released. Created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, the series revolves around a group of sentient androids living in a Wild-West-themed amusement park and fulfilling every whim of its cruel guests. The androids later rebel against their guests and masters and get out into the real world.
James Marsden has been part of the HBO series since Episode 1. He played a charming gunslinging android cowboy Teddy Flood who was one of the protagonists throughout the first two seasons. In Season 2, however, Teddy killed himself unable to take all the violence caused by the android rebellion.
Marsden returned to his role in Season 4 and was supposed to be part of the series for the final fifth season. However, Westworld was surprisingly canceled last November and later even pulled from HBO Max. What was supposed to be a five-season show has become a four-season series that was not given a chance to end the way its creators planned it.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, James Marsden opened up about his feelings on the unexpected cancelation of the series. The actor shared that the way things went has become a "disappointment" for him.
He added that he was very grateful to have been part of Westworld which had also become one of his favorite shows. He even called himself a fan and described how he had been waiting for each new episode to hit the screens.
As a fan and star of the series, Marsden said he would like to be able to see the story finished the way it had always been planned by the creators. He added that the decision to cancel the show was understandable. Westworld had been an enormous financial commitment.
Season 1 alone cost HBO a whopping $100 million. With the audience decreasing to a third and new pricey projects in development, the decision to cancel the show was totally in line with the new cost-saving policy of the studio.
"I just wish it was about more than financial success," James Marsden said.
He added that he was still hoping that somehow he would be able to reprise his Westworld role and see the series' real finale.