James Marsden originally thought that The Notebook was going to be “schmaltzy.”

In a recent interview with Out Magazine, Marsden talks about his career and how he’s actually just a “goofy drama nerd” underneath his model-esque features.

“I’d rather play a goofball or a rube than a steamy leading-man role,” he claims humbly. “I’ve never been that guy — I was a skinny loner in high school.”

His resume shows that he’s a pretty diverse actor, switching from comedy to supernatural drama to romance. He’s noted for starring in X-Men, Enchanted, Hairspray and, of course, The Notebook.

According to Us Weekly, Marsden though that The Notebook was going to be a “movie of the week” kind of film, but is ultimately happy with how things turned out.

"I never set out to make a bad movie,” he explains. Some movies just turn out bad, and I want to scream, 'Why did you pick that take?!' Then there are some movies that I've been in that I was sure people would laugh at, that have become huge."

Marsden has just finished up filming for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues which will hit theaters this December.