James Marsden: It Was an “Honor” to Take on Paul Walker’s Role in The Best of Me

James Marsden was honored to take over the late Paul Walker’s role in The Best of Me, the handsome actor told Us Weekly in an interview on Monday, Oct. 6.

“All I can say about that is he is just one of those tremendous actors that was even that much more special of a human being,” Marsden told Us when asked about Walker. “There was a wonderful energy about him and he was a terrific actor. You always want to be good stepping into a role like this but [it] felt a little bit more of an honor to play this role because of him,” the X-Men actor shared.

Walker, who died in a car accident in November 2013, was originally cast to play Dawson in Nicholas Sparks’ upcoming romance flick. A month after Walker’s tragic death, the role was offered to Marsden.

The Best of Me is based on a book of the same name by best-selling author Sparks (who also penned The Notebook, The Lucky One, and A Walk to Remember, among others), and follows two former high school sweethearts who reunite after 20 years at a funeral in their hometown in North Carolina.

The Best of Me hits theaters Oct. 17

Source: Us Magazine