J.Law reunites with ‘First Class’ friends

MANILA, Philippines - In the huge new X-Men adventure, Days Of Future Past, cinema’s favorite comic book heroes are fighting for their lives on the verge of extinction, thanks to the hulking Sentinel robots developed by warped, mutant-hating genius Bolivar Trask (Peter Dinklage). As a last hope, Prof. Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), Erik “Magneto” Lehnsherr (Ian McKellen) and their remaining comrades devise a plan to send Wolverine’s (Hugh Jackman) consciousness back through time to 1973 to round up the younger versions of themselves we originally met in 2011’s First Class. There, he’ll need to convince them to help stop the Sentinel threat before it can get started.

But recruiting the younger Xavier (James McAvoy) to help will not be an easy task. Depressed and broken in the years since he helped save the world, he’s retreated to a world of isolation. And the 1970-era Magneto (Michael Fassbender) is off pursuing his own agenda. Somehow, Wolverine must persuade them, plus Hank “Beast” McCoy (Nicholas Hoult), Raven “Mystique” Darkwood (Jennifer Lawrence) and the others to reunite and fight the bigger threat… lest the future loom even darker.

With Bryan Singer, the man who launched the X-Men film series in 2000 back in the director’s chair, the film promises to be bigger than anything that has gone before in the franchise, featuring a host of favorite returning actors (including Halle Berry, Ellen Page and Shawn Ashmore) and introducing a variety of new heroes.

Lawrence returns as Raven/Mystique, the conflicted chameleon with the desire to embrace her mutant side but the fear of what will happen if she does. 1973 finds her in an even darker place, alone and out on a dangerous personal mission. Lawrence talks her reaction to working with Singer, her joy at reuniting with her First Class friends and working blue. In more ways than one…

How was it returning to Raven’s changeable skin?

“It was interesting, because we do these movies set many years apart from each other and you have a huge transformation for each character, so it’s kind of exciting, every time we find Raven — Mystique — she’s changed!”

Ten years have passed in the characters’ lives since First Class and it seems like she’s in a dark place.

“Yeah, when we find Mystique, she hasn’t seen Charles or Erik for about a decade and she’s her own agent who doesn’t really agree with either of them. She’s on this path — we see how she ends up, we know that she becomes an assassin — and this is kind of the first leg of her journey, becoming the Mystique that we know. But Charles intervenes because he still believes there is good in her.

Have they done anything to change the make-up, to make it easier on you?

“Yeah, it gets better every time. We’ve gotten it down three hours and the paint is a lot more skin-friendly. It’s quicker, thank goodness.”

It’s a huge film. Did it feel that way to you and the rest of the cast?

“This movie was huge. I met Hugh Jackman. And we had all the original cast, it was kind of intimidating coming back because it was a much bigger deal than how it felt when we were making First Class. Because then we were sort of timid, we didn’t know how it would go, and crossing our fingers hoping it would turn out okay.”

Bryan Singer is back for this one. Is it fun working for the godfather of the X-Men films?

“It’s amazing. There was a tiny fan boy inside of me jumping up and down and screaming when he decided to direct. He’s incredible to work with and he just knows these characters inside and out and his excitement and his knowledge makes you more excited at work.”

He seemed to show that excitement through Twitter.

“He took pictures of everything. He was like a 13-year-old girl at a premiere all the time, because he always had his phone out.”

Was there something you wanted to achieve with the character this time?

“I think I was struggling back and forth just as much as she was with wanting to get darker, but Bryan has no problem completely changing a scene when needed. There was one scene where I just couldn’t get past thinking that Mystique would shoot someone where she doesn’t shoot them in the script. It didn’t feel right. And Bryan just said, ‘All right... Shoot them!’ We shot it both ways, so I don’t know which one they’ll use, but there’s so much freedom to question decisions, just as much us he does. A lot of the time when you’re filming, your ideas are developing. But for these huge movies, they allow for that kind of freedom.”

There’s one scene in the trailers where we see Mystique being pulled along the floor towards Michael’s Magneto. Was that something you did, or was it a stunt moment? Do they let you do much stunt work?

“No, I did that! It was easy! I was laughing yesterday, because I had to keep falling down and they asked me if I wanted a pad. I wondered where these people where when I have to run through the jungle on The Hunger Games and land on a bunch of sticks! But I did that dragging stunt myself.”

Was there anything they wouldn’t let you do?

“No, if you say you can do it, they will let you, generally. There was one thing where she jumps out of a window and there’s a shoulder roll, my stunt double was doing that where she would fall and roll and hit the mark. I said I could do it, because I’m pretty good at falling in real life, too. I don’t want to push my limits, because I don’t enjoy getting hurt.”

How was it working with the Wolverine?

“He’s exactly what you want him to be! When people ask me what he’s like, I don’t even know where to get started. He’s the jolliest, nicest person, funny and sweet all the time, plus an amazing actor. He’s such a great guy. He took me to Six Flags!”

Did you get to work much with Peter?

“I love him! He’s a great actor and all that, but he is so funny and I love Game of Thrones. When he first came on set, my friend and I were freaking out because we watch the show together and I was in my blue make-up at the time... I stuck my head out of the trailer door and ran up to him, and was having a total fan moment. I forgot I looked like a blue lizard, and I never addressed it! But he was so great to work with — so good at being charming, yet evil.”

X-Men: Days of Future Past 3D opens May 21 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.