James Marsden Never Got the Credit He Deserved for ‘Westworld’ Find help us

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02/02/2025

Few television shows within the modern era have had as tumultuous of a trajectory as Westworld, the ambitious reimagining of the Michael Crichton classic created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. Although it first appeared that the series was going to be a phenomenon on the level of Game of Thrones based on the passion of its fanbase, interest in Westworld declined over its later seasons, leading to an abrupt cancellation that prevented Nolan and Joy from closing out the story that they had in mind with a fifth and final installment. Although the reception to the show grew colder over time, Westworld always drew acclaim for its incredible actors, many of whom received Primetime Emmy nominations for their work. However, James Marsden was never given the credit he deserved for Westworld, as he managed to instill romance, adventure, and pathos in the densely packed series.

Who Did James Marsden Play on ‘Westworld’?

Marsden appeared in Westworld as the kindhearted hero Teddy Flood, initially designed by the creators of the park to serve as the love interest to Dolores Abernathy (Evan Rachel Wood) in Sweetwater. Teddy is noble to a fault and is often killed off by the more ruthless guests in the park, including the Man in Black (Ed Harris). Although Teddy remains largely ignorant of the insidious reason why the hosts were created, Dolores begins exploring their origins and eventually leads a revolution against Ford (Anthony Hopkins) by helping the other hosts achieve consciousness. Although Teddy’s love for Dolores is completely sincere, he questions whether he is willing to follow her when she begins embarking on a much darker path.

Mardsen’s casting in Westworld was somewhat subversive, as it was hardly the first time he was hired to play a charismatic, romantic hero. However, Teddy is deeply vulnerable because he can’t fight back, and ultimately expresses an unwillingness to harm others; even when Dolores inspires the other hosts to form an alliance and hunt down the guests who had assaulted them, Teddy insists that they should only seek independence, and do not need to go down a path of vengeance. Marsden does a great job of showing how Teddy’s idealism clouds his judgment, but also how he inspires Dolores to question whether the ends really justify the means. Although much of the “dialogue” that he delivers is intentionally melodramatic, as it was written for him by the creators of the park, Marsden’s performance deftly illustrates how Teddy begins to develop his own identity once he is freed from having to live out a tragic destiny.

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Teddy Flood Is One of ‘Westworld’s Most Complex Characters

Marsden also had the hefty task of portraying one of Westworld‘s most complex character shifts, particularly in the second season when Teddy and Dolores begin to butt heads. After realizing that Teddy is incapable of contradicting the heroic programming that he was assigned, Dolores decides to transform him into a darker, ruthless killing machine that will follow all of her orders. It is haunting to see Marsden shift all his mannerisms to become this new version of Teddy, who bears more in common with Arnold Schwarzenegger‘sTerminator. However, it is even more heartbreaking when it is revealed that Dolores has not erased Teddy’s integrity completely, as he ends up being incapable of becoming a true villain.

Marsden gave fans a reason to keep watching Westworld, particularly in the fourth season, which let many viewers down based on how repetitive it was. While the arc of the story focuses on Dolores trying to preserve the consciousness of all the hosts that were protected within the digital paradise, a version of Teddy is inserted back into her memories and helps guide her back to the light. Despite how complex the show became with its many different timelines and simulations, the romance between Teddy and Dolores felt entirely sincere, especially due to the amazing chemistry between Wood and Marsden. Although the cancellation of Westworld is disappointing for a number of reasons, it’s particularly aggravating that Marsden was denied the chance to play Teddy again, as it was clearly a character that he was capable of developing and elevating even further over the course of the series’ four-season run.