James Marsden Reveals His Relationship With 'Jury Duty' Costar Ronald Gladden

The Jury Duty experiment might be over for the original cast, but James Marsden and Ronald Gladden still keep in touch.

While attending the season 2 premiere of Your Friends & Neighbors in New York City on Monday, March 30, Marsden shared that he still checks in with his former costar from the 2023 breakout series. Gladden was the only real person on the series in a cast full of actors.

From Fake Jury to Real Friendship

"I talk to him occasionally, make sure he's… I mean, he just seems like he's flourishing," Marsden told People this week.

"[He's] having a great time and he's proud of this new season and I think he's become close with Anthony, the new guy," Marsden continued, referring to the show’s latest installment, Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat. "So he's doing well."

Marsden also offered some thoughtful advice for the show’s newest unsuspecting participant, Anthony Norman.

"Keep being you," Marsden insisted. "He's such a pure-hearted, kind human like Ronald was. And I hope that… Sometimes fame can mess with you and the attention and everything, but I think he's too pure to have that happen."

The New Jury Duty Star

The new season of the reality sitcom follows Norman, a temp worker heading out on a company retreat for a family-run hot sauce business. What he does not know is that everything happening around him is completely staged, similar to the setup Gladden experienced in season one.

Executive producer Nick Hatton previously explained why Norman stood out right away for the second season.

“Anthony’s charisma and kindness stood out immediately,” Hatton told People. “It was a big ask this season. We needed a hero who would not just integrate with a bunch of strangers but more importantly become the protagonist in their stories. Someone who was empathetic, self-possessed and represented how we all hope we would behave when dropped into this season’s situation.”

He continued, “From day one, it was clear Anthony was going to be a great hero. As for how we found him — that’s part of the secret sauce required to make the show! But safe to say there were thousands of candidates, and we’re so happy we landed the right one.”

Real Life Changes

Gladden's life has changed quite a bit since the first season of Jury Duty aired. After the show wrapped, he left his job as a contractor and moved to Los Angeles, calling the decision a "big leap of faith" in a January 2024 interview with the Los Angeles Times.

In the years since he took that leap, he landed representation with Artists First, signed a two-year deal with Amazon MGM Studios, and popped up in a Mint Mobile ad and an Elf Cosmetics commercial. Plus, he continues to show support for Marsden, having attended the premiere of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in December 2024.

As for Marsden, he made it clear that keeping their friendship alive was never optional.

"It was really important to me, I was like, 'I can't end this and then go, 'Hey, bud, that was fun, see ya,'" Marsden previously told People. "If we're really celebrating the guy, then we got to stay pals. And he's such a purehearted human being — I'd want to be friends with him anyway."