They’re seXy with a capital X. Whether they’re returning favorites like Rebecca Romijn’s blue-skinned, shape-shifting Mystique and Famke Janssen’s reborn and newly fiery Jean Grey or new blood like Ellen Page’s sweet, ghostly Kitty Pryde and Dania Ramirez’s butt-kicking bad girl Callisto, the ladies of X-Men: The Last Stand all have one thing in common: they didn’t need mutant abilities to put Hollywoood.com under their power.
Rebecca Romijn as Raven Darkholme/Mystique
Hollywood.com: We always see a lot of you physically in these films–but how about screen time? Is there even more Mystique in this one?
Rebecca Romijn: Because of the limitations of my costume, there’s only so much I can do in any of these movies. There are 15 or 16 principal cast members, and so when you break it down I never have that much to do. I’m sure I have about the same as I always have to do
HW: Do you spend more hours getting into make-up than you do acting?
RR: No. Once I’m in that make-up I try and get as much done as possible. We pare it down to six or seven hours to get it on.
HW: You look so different from yourself in this role. Are you able to step outside of it and enjoy watching the movie as if you’re watching someone else?
RR: Films like this are so interesting because when you read computer graphics, stunts and special effects on the page or fight scenes on the page, you never have any idea what it’s going to look like. So I’m going to be as curious as everyone else to see the end result. It’s a fantastic franchise to be a part of. I love being a part of those movies. I love it. I love the cast, I love the premise, I love the content, I love the material. I don’t love the make-up. But it’s a trade-off.
Famke Janssen as Dr. Jean Grey/Phoenix
Hollywood.com: This is not a kindler, gentler Jean Grey–quite the opposite. What was the challenge for you, playing Jean’s transformation into Phoenix?
Famke Janssen: Oh, she was very caring, sweet, kind person, and all of a sudden there was clarity. If you look back at [parts] one and two, there were little hints of what was to come. In the second one remember the scene that we did where we are in the museum and all of a sudden all of these screens start going off? There were hints of the powers that she had within her and the moments that she lost control over those powers and what potentially could happen. In this film it’s not that at some point she goes all the way to the bad side, but it’s a struggle within. The way I wanted to play it, and make sure that hopefully it came across that way, is that it was the struggle between Jean Grey and Phoenix. Which one was going to win?
HW: Was it more fun playing her as a bad girl this time around?
FJ: It was a tough character to shoot. There was a lot of conflict going on in her head and [it was a struggle to] make sure that during the course of the film that was always clear. What we tried to make sure was that she never chooses sides with Magneto or Xavier. Those were the things that I found to be very challenging to play. I think when you get to play the bad guy or girl, the way for example I did in Nip/Tuck or Goldeneye, you do get to have a lot of fun. This one is up there in terms of craziness but not, I don’t think, as fun.
Ellen Page as Kitty Pryde
Hollywood.com: Why did you turn down the role in X-Men: The Last Stand initially?
Ellen Page: I had actually taken tons of time off after Hard Candy. I went to Halifax and graduated high school, which was awesome, and then was just kind of enjoying just being me in the world and having a great year. I was just getting my stuff together, and I guess that I just didn’t anticipate that to be something that was going to happen in my life. I didn’t anticipate shooting such a large film on such a huge scale like that. So I was like, “Wow. I just really don’t think that I’m ready for it.” And then luckily Brett Ratner then called me directly and we had a conversation, and he told me what the film was going to be about and how excited he was, and then he got me really excited about it. Ultimately I’m very grateful for that. I’m glad that I did it.
HW: Was it hard jumping into the X-Men ensemble, where many of the actors have a well-established working relationship?
EP: I had this opportunity to work with stunning actors which was an honor, but at the same time it was like I went in there and they were just great people. I know that that sounds like such B.S., but really they were awesome, totally unassuming, totally open and kind, just all sweethearts.
HW: Are you prepared for the level of media attention that you’re going to as a result of X-Men 3, due to its devoted fan following?
EP: I don’t think that I’m going to change on a personal level because of any of it. I’m lucky to have really good parents that never pushed me into this, like not even for a second. They’ve always been very supportive and just awesome, really great friends. So, I mean, I don’t know because I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’m curious and I’m excited if it means that I can continue working and have more control. That’s really unbelievable and I can’t really believe that it’s happening. So I’m very, very grateful.
Dania Ramirez as Callisto
Hollywood.com: How does it feel to be a part of one of the summer’s biggest films?
Dania Ramirez: I am still excited. It is a huge franchise, an international phenomenon–X-Men and X 2 are so big. Being a part of it and knowing that I was going to get a chance to work with such amazing actors… It was just an amazing opportunity. And I have been a fan of Brett’s work for a really long time. So more than anything–when I auditioned for the movie I hadn’t seen X1 and X2–I was excited about getting the opportunity to work with Brett Ratner. And then I found out that there were all of these amazing people involved in the movie. The whole journey has been amazing.
HW: As Callisto you get to open up a can of whup-ass on Halle Berry’s Storm. What was that like?
DR: Yeah, I didn’t even talk about it, did you notice that? I just walked in and just beat her up! That is probably the coolest thing that I got to. I enjoyed kicking her butt. The whole preparation for the scenes was really hard. I trained for about a month and a half. Kickboxing, weights, hiking, running and anything and everything you could possibly imagine. We practiced the fights for a couple of weeks before we actually shot it. And then they break it into different pieces so you are not actually going through the whole thing at once. The most challenging part about that was just trying not to hit Halle for real.
HW: Some of you X-ladies have some pretty sexy costumes–or like Rebecca, barely any costume at all. How comfortable were you in yours?
DR: It is not comfortable at all. It’s not even latex. It is leather. I am wearing rubber pants and a corset and a belt inside of it, a belt outside of it, and they really wanted to create the whole comic book look. I couldn’t breathe. I was really jealous of the guys to not have to wear that suit. It was freezing, and you see what I am wearing, right? I wasn’t comfortable. I belong on an island with the sun.
