TEMPERATURE ACTOR, PERFECT HUSBAND AND FATHER, YES AND JUST A BEAUTIFUL MAN, FROM WHICH ARE WITHOUT MENTIONS OF WOMEN, Hugh JEKMAN RETURNS TO MOVIES AGAIN KRAZHORA. On the eve of the release of the movie “X-Men: Days of the Future Passing”, who had gathered a whole galaxy of STARS of WORLD SIZE, we talked with Hugh about his worldview and work.
Hugh, what was your reaction when you read the script for the X-Men: Days of Future Past?
Hugh: You know, before I first played in the X-Men movie, I knew almost nothing about this comic. Something I heard, of course, but did not imagine that this legendary story is so loved by millions. And when it became known that this time Brian Singer would occupy the director's chair, the fans were delighted, because he turns out excellent heroes: smart, charming and unusual. Brian wanted to make a truly honest, humane, emotional movie, so the film came out grand.
In this series, Logan finds himself in an unusual situation - he has to lead others behind him, to be the first ...
Hugh: Yes, a task suddenly falls upon him that is completely unfamiliar to him, and he doubts that he will cope with it. But Wolverine is the only one who can go back in time.
He finds himself in a situation mirrored by the one described in the first X-Men, when Charles was his mentor and teacher. And now he himself has to be a kind of guide for Charles and others.
It’s not so easy, probably, to call on someone to visit and say - hello, I'm from the future!
Hugh: Exactly! But Logan is generally a man, to put it mildly, taciturn. Patiently explaining something, explaining it - this is not for him. He had hoped that he would be immediately accepted and understood, but this did not happen, and several very funny scenes were tied to this. Logan is a man of action, he just wants to come and do everything he needs, but he doesn’t get it. Therefore, playing Logan this time was fun. Before me was a difficult acting task - to play an adult in a young body. After all, Logan needs not only to explain to everyone why he came back - he must inspire other heroes, push them to the right decision.
How did you like working with the actors from the movie "X-Men: First Class" again?
Hugh: Everything was wonderful. I remember how on the first day of filming, James McAvoy and I walked along the corridors of the X-Mansion, which, incidentally, was accurately recreated from the drawings of the first film. Nick Holt comes up to me and says: "I remember how you walked along these corridors, I saw you, I was eight years old then ...". I tell him: “Nick, listen, I like you, but maybe we won’t continue this conversation? You, of course, wanted to give a compliment, but ...” He says: "Yes, friend, I'm sorry. I understand." (Laughs) Besides, I’ve never been on set before where I had to say: “So, stop, stop running around with pneumatics around the trailers. We’ll kill someone.”
Yes, we were fooling around, but everything was positive. It is amazing that the relations established between us over all these years have not gone anywhere. When we shot the very first film, we - Jennifer (Lawrence), Michael (Fassbender), James (McEvoy) and Nick (Holt) - were not famous. And now we communicated with each other completely freely, we received great pleasure from the filming, although we realized that the work ahead was very serious.
How was the reunion with the original cast? Whoever called it the "alumni evening" ...
Hugh: And it was like that. I have seen so many times how Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart walked by the arm to the place of shooting - preparing for joint scenes and chasing the text. Holly Berry during the filming was pregnant and after each scene shot she unbuttoned her costume to make it easier to breathe. You know, to be there again, among these people, in that atmosphere is something incredible. 14 years after the first film, we were together for a month, Brian was with us, and everyone felt a certain completeness, felt like a circle was closed. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to experience all this.
Has Brian changed his work style since the second X-Men movie?
Hugh: Now Brian is a cult figure, because he revived the whole genre no less - a movie about superheroes. Then, 14 years ago, it was a bold step, the success of which many doubted. Now we had an excellent script, and to some extent the current situation was reminiscent of the work on the second part - when we already had less fear and anxiety about the chosen genre. Brian is certainly interested in this new work. Even just getting us all here, given the shooting schedule for each, was no easy task. But Brian is an unsurpassed master of drama and comedy. He knows how to shoot action like no other and takes the visual side of the process very seriously. And he can shoot 3D so that the image does not look like a regular format conversion.
All these time movements did not confuse the script?
Hugh: The filming process with us was divided into two parts - due to the schedules of Ian and Patrick, we had to first shoot the future, and then the past. Brian has one feature - a lot of great ideas come to his mind directly on the site. He makes changes to the scenes that he was previously pleased with, but this really makes the material better. It was crucial to stay on the same wavelength with Brian to keep up with the changes. The most impressive scene in the film, in my opinion, is just one of such sudden finds by our director. Initially, it was assumed that we and the young actors were sitting at the dining table in the X-Mansion, and as a result an incredibly cool scene came out on board the plane. Imagine - a dramatic scene, the intensity of emotions, and here Magneto is on an airplane at an altitude of 40,000 feet, and the further development of events becomes very problematic! You will see - this is one of the most interesting and vital scenes.
In the movie, it’s quite rare that someone has to work with two actors playing the same character. What can you say about the difference in approaches between Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart and Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy, playing their heroes in his youth?
Hugh: The center of all history is Professor Xavier. In his youth, he is a more versatile personality than the professor who Patrick embodied on the screens, because with age, the character's character took much more strict, clear forms. Xavier has a long way to go, and watching him is incredibly exciting. I know that Ian and Patrick are delighted that Michael and James play their characters in their youth. When I first saw the X-Men: First Class scenario, I confessed that I was not sure if these guys would be able to recreate the chemistry, those deep, complicated relationships that Ian and Patrick managed to show in due time. After all, for many years I knew them as brilliant theater actors, I considered them English De Niro and Pacino! But the young actors managed to do everything and even more.
Judging by the trailer, you are even in better shape than you were in previous films. Many tricks you perform yourself, right?
Hugh: Yes, I do a lot myself. Besides all sorts of nonsense like beating his head against a wall and crashing cars.
What further awaits Wolverine?
Hugh: There is an option to continue the film about Wolverine. James Mangold and I are thinking about this, however, officially, I have not yet given my consent. To start filming a new film should only be when it is simply impossible not to shoot anymore. I am now responsible for this character, so we need to come up with something completely new and unprecedented.
