About a week ago, Tony-winning and four-time Emmy-nominated actor Alan Cumming sat down to talk about his career in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly (via Deadline).
When asked about his time playing superhero Nightcrawler in the Marvel movie X2: X-Men United, Cumming said it was the “gayest” film he’s done, which, he says, is saying a lot.
He noted that the film had a queer director, and a lot of queer actors in it, and he pointed out that the story is an allegory about queerness, about people having these great gifts and really great, powerful things that they have to hide to exist. He stated that “Queer people understand what that’s all about.”
Now, the film’s screenwriter, David Hayter, has responded to the actor’s remarks, stating:
“I was thrilled Alan Cumming called ‘X2’ the gayest film he’d ever worked on. It made me really happy. I’m so glad we did right by him. He’s such an icon for gay rights. Ian McKellen also really recognized the allegory of it from a gay perspective.”
Hayter added that the team’s goal for the “X-Men” movies was to appeal to “anyone who faced hatred or exclusion or judgement and still felt compelled to do the right thing.” Hayter went on:
“We had the Holocaust in the opening of [‘X-Men’] and Magneto paraphrases Malcolm X at the end. It’s really for anyone who feels exclusion. But we had a number of key creatives behind the camera and on camera who were gay, so obviously that element was on our minds. The fact that came through and felt fulfilling for Alan meant a lot to me personally.”
It’s cool to see comics reach all different types of people, and allow them to feel seen and not alone.
Cumming did not reprise Nightcrawler in the additional “X-Men” sequels, although rumors have circulated that he’ll be popping up as the mutant in the upcoming Marvel movie Deadpool and Wolverine. That would be awesome!
via: Variety
