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Rebecca Romijn
Interview
Compiled by Jack Foley
REBECCA Romijn talks about reprising the
role of Mystique in X-Men: The Last Stand, as well as her life and
career in general…
Q: What can you say about
Mystique’s role in the film, without giving too much away?
*A: Mystique goes through a dramatic time and suffers a heartbreak. She
is the first mutant to have the possibility that she could be
“cured”, which would inevitably mean losing her shape shifting
powers. The big question for her in this film is what will happen to
her? Being a frail mortal would be her worst nightmare. She would hate
that. This is a very emotional storyline for her. I cannot tell you what
happens to Mystique, but I can say that she goes through a traumatic
experience.
Q: For anyone who needs a
reminder, what kind of woman is Mystique?
A: She is angry, a very angry character. She was born
with amazing powers as a shape shifter that she didn’t ask for and
which have made her life difficult. Probably as a child, Mystique was
ostracized because she was different. Her powers placed her into bad
situations that made her unpopular and her family probably dumped her.
All those early experiences turned her into an aggressive character. And
rather than figuring out how to make the best of life and how to live
peacefully with other humans in the world, she goes to war and joins the
brotherhood of evil, which is Ian McKellen’s side. She makes a
decision to fight all the hateful people she has had to deal with in her
life.
Q: What is your relationship with
Magneto [Sir Ian McKellen] like in this film and over the course of the
X-Men films?
A: Sir Ian and I have discussed our characters’
relationship extensively. We have decided that we (Mystique and Magneto)
have once upon a time been lovers, we are no longer lovers but we have
very deep respect for each other. She is his wing-woman. She is more
than his assistant, they have a deep-seated bond and the question is,
will it be time for them to part ways? Their relationship changes very
dramatically during this film.
Q: What was your personal
experience of working with Sir Ian?
A: Fantastic. I love him; we have the best time working
together. He is the most sympathetic person, when it comes to my
situation on the set. I am always physically uncomfortable because of
all the blue make-up I have to wear. He sits with me, puts his arm
around me and asks me how I am doing. We have a really good time
together. He is the most sophisticated person I have ever met and at the
same time, he is the biggest child I have ever met. He has a great sense
of humor. Of course, he is a wonderful actor and it is always
interesting seeing how great actors like him work, watching their level
of commitment. No matter how much work he has done in the past and no
matter how well respected he is, he puts everything into this role,
playing a super villain who wears a cape for half the movie. He is
really good fun and makes the work so exciting all the time. He is
infectious to be around. He is also very funny, he likes to play. I
adore him.
Q: How would you say this film
differs from the other X-Men films?
A: Well I don’t know what it will look like, because
I haven’t seen it yet, but it’s definitely the most dramatic, the
most happens in this movie. I loved my story-line and I know the rest of
the cast feels the same way. I think it is going to be amazing.
Q: What was your experience of
working with the director, Brett Ratner?
A: Great, he is no stranger to these big, giant action
movies. He had really big shoes to fill, but he was fantastic.
Everything felt right on the film and I loved working with him. He is a
really fun guy with a tremendous amount of energy. He likes to joke
around, he’s lively and very skilled and talented director.
Q: Once again, to play Mystique,
you had to spend hours in makeup, what is that like for you on a
physical level, are you used to it by now?
A: It is tough. Mystique is solid blue and covered in
scales. I remember when I was reading the script for the first time, for
the first X-Men, they described what my character looked like and I
thought: “Ok cool, that might involve a couple of extra hours in
makeup, I can deal with that.” I never really understood how much time
it would entail until I began work. It ended up being seven or eight
hours in the make-up chair, so sometimes I would have to get to the set
at one or two in the morning to get started. It is mostly prosthetics;
the scales are giant pieces of silicone, (which cover 70 percent of my
body), that are strategically placed all over my body. Then they spray
me down, they airbrush the rest of me with blue makeup. It is not much
fun. But the same group of women has been doing my make up since the
first film and we all know each other very well now, obviously. We
genuinely have a pretty good time together and make the best of it. And
it is worth it because the results are so dramatic.
Q: How transformational has X-Men
been for you in terms of your career, the films are so popular all
around the world?
A: It’s amazing, the fan base for these movies is so
far and deep, it is unimaginable, just crazy and wonderful to be a part
of. I always feel that I don’t want to let anyone down because people
are waiting for the new film, for these characters that they love, as
well as the new ones. They want to see them on the screen. I think
people just love the films, which is so great. And for me personally it
has been a fantastic experience.
Q: You always look fit, how do
you stay in shape in general?
A: I go to the gym whenever I can. I actually have to
eat to keep the weight on when I am working because I tend to lose too
much weight. I like to workout. I don’t cook. Not really, I like good
restaurants. And sometimes I get back from work and it is too late to
eat dinner so I just go straight to bed and I wake up the next morning
starving and have to eat cheeseburgers for the pure energy. But in
general I am a pretty healthy eater.
Q: Did you always want to act as
a child, growing up in Northern California?
A: I always loved to put on a show when I was a little
girl, I was always performing in one way or another. By the time I got
to high school, I was doing all the school musicals, I did a lot of
Gilbert and Sullivan shows. I sang in choruses and choirs including the
Oakland Youth Chorus, which musician, Bobby McFerrin founded. I never
thought I would perform professionally and I went to university to study
music. But I left after a year and started modeling. Then a scout from a
modeling agency saw my pictures and a week later I was on a plane to
Paris, it was very exciting and that is how it all began for me.
Q: Did you enjoy your experience
of modeling?
A: Well the modeling was the last thing I ever expected
to be doing. I was not even fashion conscious. But it was actually
great; it was like finishing school for me. I had never used makeup or
hair products before. Makeup was not something that I learned from my
mother. I moved to Paris and I learned so much about the fashion
industry and living in Paris was a life changing experience for me. I
already spoke Dutch because my father is Dutch, now I speak French too
which is great.
Q: What is the best piece of
advice you have had?
A: The best piece of advice I ever had was from my
sister who told me to get a dog. I have four now and they have changed
my life. Having dogs makes you into a less selfish person. You have to
pay attention to these other beings and they become your best friends
and brighten up everything in your life – they force you out of the
door in the morning, because you have to take them for walks.
Q: What do you have coming up?
A: I made a movie with Ben Affleck called Man About
Town, directed by Mike Binder. Ben plays an LA super agent going through
a crisis. He starts taking a journal-writing course headed by John
Cleese; his journal gets stolen by a writer who is about to do a big
expose on him. I play his wife who has been cheating on him with one of
his clients. I try to get back into his good graces by trying to get his
journal back for him. It is hilarious and emotional.
Q: How do you spend your time
when you are not working?
A: I love being outdoors, exploring, travelling, hiking
with the dogs and trying out new restaurants.
Q: What are your goals?
A: I try not to look ahead. I actually love the role I
am working on now, in my new TV show, Pepper Dennis. It’s a
lighthearted, comedy drama. I play Pepper Dennis who is a very driven
and ambitious television reporter; she will do anything to get the
story, which sets her up for humiliation in every single episode. She is
insecure but also a strong woman.
For the future, I don’t want to make solid plans, because you never
know what will happen, but I know I don’t want to be bored. I really
try to focus on the present and be ready for every opportunity. I am so
happy with my career and personal life. I never thought I would be
working in television and movies, so I am very lucky.
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