James McAvoy Knew About His ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Moment but Wasn’t Called for a Cameo: ‘I’m Always Ready’ to Return to the X-Men
James McAvoy, who’s played Professor X since 20th Century Studios rebooted the X-Men franchise in 2011’s “X-Men: First Class,” told Variety he’s “always going to be interested” in portraying the professor again, depending on the quality of the project.
“I’ve always said, if there’s a good role, if there’s a good opportunity to tell a good story, I’m always going to be interested in it, no matter whether it’s something I’ve done before or something completely brand new,” McAvoy said. “If there’s good material, I’m always ready to respond. I’m always ready. Ever ready! Actor ready! It’s got to be good, and they’ve got to want to do that, so it’s all hypotheticals.”
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McAvoy expressed his interest in playing Charles Xavier at Variety Studio, presented by Google TV, at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con. The question was posed to him when asked if he’d seen Marvel’s latest Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman-starring “Deadpool & Wolverine.” Warning, slight “Deadpool & Wolverine” spoilers ahead.
Though the actor confessed to not having seen it yet, he knew he would appear in the film’s credits, and there was no chance he’d get to appear in the film.
“I know, I know! I knew I was going to be in the credits. I demanded. [Laughs] No,” he said. When asked if ever had plans to appear in “Deadpool & Wolverine,” the actor said, “No, no, no, no. Not this one. I don’t think so. If there was a world, they clearly threw that idea out the window before calling me, so no.”
The actor was joined by Director James Watkins and co-star Mackenzie Davis to tout his latest horror flick, “Speak No Evil,’ a remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name. The horror film follows an American couple and their daughter’s fight for survival when an idyllic vacation in a British family’s country turns into a nightmarish hellscape.
McAvoy, who’s no stranger to horror, having starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split” and “Glass,” said this film was “weirdly” filled with “lots of laughter” and an intense “cranking of tension.”
“What he [Watkins] does so brilliantly is this really long, long-drawn hour and a half of comedy and scary stuff, but really, it’s just tension, tension, tension, tension, and so for the last 20 minutes when it all kicks off, it all just explodes.”
When asked what’s on his watch list at the end of the sit-down, McAvoy told Variety that “Deadpool & Wolverine” is at the top of his list: “I’ve definitely got to see ‘Deadpool & Wolverine.'”
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