Rebecca Romijn’s tenure as Raven Darkhölme a.k.a. Mystique in the “X-Men” franchise included four feature films (and an uncredited cameo in a fifth) and two male directors who went on to be accused of sexual misconduct and inappropriate set behavior.
Bryan Singer directed Romijn in “X-Men,” “X2” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” while Brett Ratner took over filmmaking duties on “X-Men: The Last Stand.” Several men have accused Singer of sexual assault, while various “X-Men” actors have called Singer unprofessional on set. High-profile actors such as Olivia Munn, Elliot Page and Natasha Henstridge have alleged Ratner sexually harassed them and acted rudely toward them on set.
Despite many actors coming out publicly against Singer and Ratner over the years, Romijn has never joined the chorus of voices. Why? She told The Independent in a new interview that she’s remained silent because she has nothing else to add on the topics.
“I was not happy working with [Brett Ratner],” Romijn said. “But he’s been cancelled. I haven’t spoken up about anything with regard to #MeToo, because I had two major issues with two directors I’ve worked with – and both of them already got theirs, one of them being Brett Ratner… I didn’t feel like I needed to say anything. I know the two people that I worked with had it coming, and they got theirs… I don’t need to say anything else.”
While working with Ratner was a bad experience — Romijn said he was the only person she felt comfortable publicly throwing “under the bus” — the actor had a far better experience with Bryan Singer.
“He’s a fantastic filmmaker, you know? It was amazing watching him work,” Romijn said. “And you have to decide if you want to try and separate those two things. I know that the other cast confronted him about things. But I was not a part of that. I wasn’t there for it, so I can’t really speak to it.”
“There was drama on set, and I witnessed it and I heard a lot about it,” she continued. “And he sometimes didn’t come in prepared. But he would show up and, without any preparation whatsoever, direct the most awesome scene that he was able to put together because he’s such a good filmmaker.”
Several “X-Men” actors, from Jennifer Lawrence to Halle Berry, have spoken out publicly about Singer’s inappropriate set behavior over the years. Berry, who played Storm in Singer’s “X-Men” franchise, told Variety in 2020 that “Bryan’s not the easiest dude to work with.” Berry famously cursed out Singer on set one day and told him to “kiss my Black ass.”
“Everybody’s heard the stories,” Berry said at the time. “I would sometimes be very angry with him. I got into a few fights with him, said a few cuss words out of sheer frustration. When I work, I’m serious about that. And when that gets compromised, I get a little nutty.”
Brian Cox, who played the villainous Colonel William Stryker in 2003’s “X2: X-Men United,” defended Singer’s set behavior in an interview with Yahoo Entertainment earlier this year. Cox said that Singer was “under a lot of strain” during the production of “X2.” Singer’s haphazard behavior often led to scenes being rewritten on the spot.
“I think he’s an extraordinary director — really, really gifted” Cox said of Singer. “Certainly I will always be grateful to him because he had confidence in me and got me the role. I played a waiting game and it worked.”
Hugh Jackman, who headlined the “X-Men” franchise for years as Wolverine, was asked by The Guardian as the start of the year if Singer’s unprofessional behavior tainted the “X-Men” legacy.
“There’s a lot of things at stake there,” Jackman said. “‘X-Men’ was the turning point, I believe, in terms of comic-book movies and I think there’s a lot to be proud of. And there’s certainly questions to be asked and I think they should be asked. But I guess I don’t know how to elegantly answer that. I think it’s complex and ultimately I look back with pride at what we’ve achieved and what momentum that started.”
Head over to The Independent’s website to read Romijn’s latest profile in its entirety.
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