Josh Duhamel's no stranger to romantic comedies, and in New Year's Eve he once again taps into his romantic leading man persona to play the guy that every woman wants. Duhamel stars as a rich ladies man who may have just found 'the one' if only he can beat the odds and make it to a special meeting at midnight on December 31, 2011. He's only met this woman once, but she made quite an impression on him and he's carried her hand-written letter asking for a date on New Year's Eve with him all year. (No spoilers here, but the storyline keeps you guessing who exactly this woman is until the very end)
Duhamel, who's married to Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas, says that in reality it's much easier to handle the big night of celebrations. "As long as you keep expectations low," joked Duhamel, adding, "Or you’re asleep at 10:30 pm."
In New Year's Eve, Duhamel's character ('Sam') is forced into hitching a ride with a family in a motorhome heading into New York City to see the Rockettes. His first stop will be an exclusive party thrown by the record company his family owns, and then it's on to his meet-up with the mysterious lady he can't stop thinking about.
'Sam' is just one of the many players in director Garry Marshall's huge ensemble cast, and Duhamel said that upped his game. "When there’s so many people in a movie like this, you want to be able to go in and do your best work right away, and feel comfortable and contribute, as best you can," explained Duhamel at the LA press day for the New Line Cinema/Warner Bros Pictures film.
But one of his co-stars, Yeardley Smith, really tested his ability to keep focused on the job at hand. "I kept thinking, 'This is Lisa Simpson.' She was playing the pastor’s wife, and there were a few takes where she was really frisky. I kept thinking...because I was telling her this story about this girl that I’d met the year before, and she started playing it like she was getting all hot and bothered...I kept thinking, 'I’m making Lisa Simpson all hot and bothered,' and there was something really wrong about that."
As for his other big name New Year's Eve co-stars, Duhamel didn't really get much of a chance to work in scenes with that many, however he does applaud a few of the minor supporting players for doing terrific jobs in their limited time on screen. "I worked with guys like Sean O’Bryan, Larry Miller and Yeardley Smith. I don’t think they get enough credit. There are a lot of really great peripheral characters in this movie, too. Larry Miller is a guy that I’ve seen and watched, forever. He was a really interesting dude to work with. I really liked him."
Another character Duhamel did interact with who stands out from the pack is of the four-legged persuasion. "That was barely a dog. It was like a little treefrog. He just kinda sat right there," said Duhamel, the owner of two dachshunds - Zoe and Meat Loaf.
Next up for Duhamel is the 2012 drama Fire with Fire co-starring Bruce Willis, Rosario Dawson, Vincent D'Onofrio, and 50 Cent.
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New Year's Eve hits theaters on December 9, 2011 and is rated PG-13 for language including some sexual references.
