By Christina Radish
In what is purported to be the last of the X-Men trilogy, X-Men: The Last Stand, director Brett Ratner has taken the reins for the latest wow-inducing, special effects-laden installment. In X-Men 3, a virtual mutant civil war is ignited by the introduction of a pharmaceutical “cure” for their afflictions and attributes. For the first time, mutants have a choice: retain their uniqueness, though it isolates and alienates them, or give up their powers and become human.
{quote_top}This cure triggers a sociological showdown between Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), who preaches tolerance, and the shrewd Magneto (Ian McKellan), who believes in the survival of the fittest, and vows to obliterate the remedy and its followers, human and mutant alike. These opposing viewpoints are put to the ultimate test, triggering the war to end all wars.
One of the things that has made the X-Men franchise so popular is the wide array of characters. This time around, familiar faces, such as Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), Storm (Halle Berry), Cyclops (James Marsden), Dr. Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), Iceman (Shawn Ashmore), Pyro (Aaron Stanford), Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Mystique (Rebecca Romijn), are joined by Beast (Kelsey Grammar), Juggernaut (Vinnie Jones), Angel (Ben Foster) and Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page), among others.
Having been introduced in X2, Pyro is reeking havoc, this time around. “I had already done Pyro, so I was familiar with the territory, and it was pretty easy to slip back into,” explains Stanford. “There’s a lot of explosions this time. A lot of things are set on fire.”
Two weeks after filming completed on the recent The Hills Have Eyes remake, in which Stanford was one of the stars, he left the Sahara Desert, where it was 115 degrees in the shade, for Vancouver, B.C., in the rainy season. “X-Men is such a big movie that you have a lot of down time,” says Stanford. “There was plenty of time to relax, but it was funny because I didn’t know where I was, having just come off of The Hills Have Eyes.”
For anyone who was unsure of where Pyro’s loyalties lay at the end of X2, Stanford says that will all be cleared up this time around. “He’s become Magneto’s right hand man. In X2, he was very ambivalent. He wasn’t sure where his allegiance lay. He was friends with Professor X, but he also had this urge to spread his wings and find his power with the brotherhood. In X-Men 3, he’s definitely off that fence. He’s decided where he wants to go. He’s with the brotherhood and he really is allowed to fully explore his power. He’s off the leash.”
As Professor X’s vengeful stepbrother, Juggernaut, professional soccer player turned actor Vinnie Jones is one of the mutant newcomers. “His power is his strength,” explains Jones. “When he gets going, he just runs through walls. He’s a big old boy.”
No stranger to working with special effects and green screen, in such films as Swordfish and Gone in 60 Seconds, Jones admits to having had a great time shooting Juggernaut’s fight scenes in the film. “They were with Wolverine, mostly. It was incredible. Brett wanted most of the actors to do as much as they could. Halle Berry has this amazing stunt where she spins down from about 40 feet and goes through the wall, and she did it all herself. It was awesome. We did some frightening stuff. Imagine running through a wall. It was scary.”
{quote_middle}Aware that he’s not likely to win an Academy Award for his performance as Juggernaut, Jones does say that X-Men will give him a certain amount of exposure that will heighten his visibility, as an actor. “When you’ve got such a big cast, obviously, your dialogue gets very diluted. But, I think this one is going to blow everybody away. The anticipation for it has been huge. I’ve never witnessed anything like it. I thought Gone in 60 Seconds and Swordfish were big, $100 million plus movies, but this is crazy. Brett gave me some great lines in the film. I think Juggernaut’s a cool dude. There’s actually a Juggernaut website now.”
Although there are currently no plans for another X-Men sequel, Jones reveals that he did sign on for two more films, if they were to happen, in the future. “That was in my deal. I would like to do another sequel. I want a bigger house.”
Another new addition to the X-Men franchise is 20-year-old Canadian actress Ellen Page, as Kitty Pryde. Having just come off the dark independent Hard Candy, Page found quite a change of pace in the big studio, big budget world of X-Men.
“It was a huge transition,” declares Page. “X-Men was massive. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced, but it was great in its own way. I’m grateful for that. It’s different and you have to understand that it’s different. You have to look at it with a different perspective and know that it’s a little more action oriented. In X-Men, I wear a leather suit and run through explosions. It was fun. It’s cool to do something that’s completely opposite of the last thing you did, or something that you never thought you’d be doing.”
Admitting to not having seen the first two films until after she talked to Ratner about playing Kitty, Page says that she, too, is grateful for the opportunities that the extra exposure will give her. “The important thing is not to judge. Everything has its place and it was a really good experience. I worked with some really amazing actors and now have a whole bunch of opportunities.”
X-Men: The Last Stand has not even been in theaters for a full 24 hours, and already Page says that she’s been adjusting to being recognized, having been featured in the trailers, in the months prior to the film’s release.
{quote_bottom}“It’s really crazy to think that it’s happening already, but it is and it’s really freaky,” says Page. “I was on the streetcar in Toronto and someone came up to me. And then, I was in a Borders in L.A. and someone came up to me. It blows my mind. But, I’m not going to change because of it. I don’t think I’m cool because I’m an actor. If anything, it makes me more self-deprecating.”
