In the Bryan Singer-directed movie, the 59-year-old Scottish actor plays Nightcrawler, a German former circus performer whose superpower is teleporting.
- Jun 17, 2024
AceShowbiz - Alan Cumming proudly described "X2: X-Men United" as the "gayest film" he's ever done. When reflecting on his past film roles, the actor portraying Nightcrawler in the 2003 flick explained how he came up with the title.
"I think the X-Men film I'm in is the gayest film that I've ever done, and that's me saying that," the 59-year-old told Entertainment Weekly. "It's got a queer director, lots of queer actors in it. I love the fact that something so mainstream and so in the comic book world is so queer."
"I think, in a way, those sorts of films really help people understand queerness, because you can address it in an artistic way, and everyone is less scared of the concept," he added. "It's an allegory about queerness, about people having these great gifts and really great, powerful things that they have to hide to exist. Queer people understand what that's all about."
Meanwhile, in a post on his official website, Alan revealed that he "had never heard of the X-Men" before talking to director Bryan Singer about the role. "The character is really interesting, the message of the film (tolerance of others who are different from us) was very timely and unusual for a Hollywood blockbuster," he elaborated.
"But the real drag was having to spend over four hours a day having two men poke my face," he further detailed. "Then there were the harnesses for the tail and for flying, the feet, the hands - which made going to the loo a group effort, the teeth, the lenses, oh God don't get me started."
Alan's character, Nightcrawler, is a German former circus performer whose superpower is teleporting. Aside from the "The Traitors" host, the film stars Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart among others.
