Painted blue once again, Rebecca Romijn returns to portray the beautiful and dangerous Mystique, in the new film, X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, directed by Brett Ratner. For the third time, she stars as the striking, shape shifting mutant. She can't say too much about her extraordinary story line in the film, but does reveal that there is plenty of emotion - as well as trauma for this idiosyncratic character.
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, what will happen to her? This is a very emotional storyline for her, 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. 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."
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. 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. He is really good fun and makes the work so exciting all the time. He is infectious to be around. I adore him."
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 as you know 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.' 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. 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. 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: Physically you look amazing as Mystique, what training did you do for this one and what is your workout regime in general?
A: "I have been doing Pilates for eight years now and six months before I started this movie, I had to get back into the gym to do serious cardio training. I had to change my eating habits again."
Q: Who are your role models?
A: "I love Goldie Hawn and Lucille Ball. I love Cybill Shepherd, I adore Susan Sarandon, and I also love Julie Andrews."
X-MEN: THE LAST STAND opens soon in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox.