By Hollywood standards, Anna Paquin has one of the rarest mutant powers of all: having a career that survives beyond childhood (and an Oscar win) and growing up into one of the most accomplished young actresses in the industry. Returning as the alienated, untouchable Rogue for X-Men: The Last Stand, she let Hollywood.com get a grip on her.
Hollywood.com: With the possibility of a mutant cure dangled before her, Rogue faces a crucial decision in this film, especially if she ever wants to have a real relationship with Bobby.
Anna Paquin: I think it is a really huge thing to have to live with, to literally not ever be able to physically fit into normal life. To have to be careful if you are standing too close to someone that you might accidentally kill them. That is a pretty hard burden to put on one very young person.
HW: If you could have a mutant power in real life, what would it be?
AP: I feel like female intuition takes care of a lot of that. Seriously, I have a laundry list that would actually be legitimately cool. Flying, teleportation, telekinesis… There are lots of cools stuff–breathing underwater, that stuff would be kind of fun. That multiple thing [dividing into clones like Multiple Man does in the film] would be cool as well, because I am really busy and I would actually like to be two places at once.
HW: What’s the coolest thing about being in the X-Men films?
AP: Honestly, I was just so psyched that I didn’t have any g**damn blue paint all over my body. I was like, “I am so glad that my mutation is non-visible.” In the first movie I didn’t even have the white stripe I just had the big old cloak. Her powers are pretty internal, and I just feel really intensely isolated. I don’t have to look intensely isolated because honest to God if anyone made me sit still for four to nine hours to put blue anything I would, I have zero sit-still ability.
HW: Are you able to watch the films and separate yourself from your character and really get into them?
AP: I can’t see a movie that I am in more than like once, really, because the first time almost kills me. It’s so embarrassing watching myself talk. But it is exciting watching these movies–there are a lot of parts that you are not in that you are like, “Damn, they worked hard–that is f***ing hard.”
HW: What was your favorite part of this new sequel?
AP: I thought some of those fights with Dania [Ramirez] and Halle [Berry] were pretty awesome. I don’t know who I would put more money on–that’s a pretty damn awesome fight. I would kind of like to see the girls not just kicking ass, but really brutalizing each other. It was kind of awesome, what is not to love? Beautiful women fighting…
HW: Do you ever use your action figure to throw down on Mystique?
AP: I got toys. Except that they made them pigeon-toed and knock-kneed. [In real life], I am flat-footed and my knees kind of slightly turn towards each other, but I don’t need that level of realism! I really don’t. It is like, “Please make fun of me a little more.” I look retarded. I have a bunch of them, I got a whole box of them. When my career dries up I am going to sell them on eBay.
