After X-Men: Apocalypse looked like it had wrapped up the X-Men prequel trilogy, it was thought that some of the cast members would be bowing out of the franchise. Not least Jennifer Lawrence, who had not only become one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood since 2011’s X-Men: First Class, but had also made her distaste for the blue bodypaint she had to wear to play Mystique known.
As it turns out, though, Lawrence ended up returning for X-Men: Dark Phoenix, which will continue the story of how the shapeshifter is now a hero and bonafide member of the X-Men. While speaking to EW, the actress revealed why she decided to sign on for a fourth movie, joking that it was all to do with a thoughtless promise she made to director Simon Kinberg.
“I kind of f*cked myself. Because when I was trying to talk Simon into directing, he said something like, ‘If I direct it, you have to do it,’ and I was like, ‘Of course! Duh!’ Then they offered me the movie, and I was like, ‘Goddammit!’”
On a more serious note, Lawrence explained that she felt obligated to return to Mystique at least one more time as a favour to the fans. “It was the fan base, though, too,” she admitted. “The other reason was for the fans.”
It turns out that this was definitely the right decision, as Lawrence went on to reveal that making Dark Phoenix was her favourite experience of working on an X-Men movie yet. She puts forth the reason for that at Kinberg’s door, saying that the director’s insight into the characters really helped her disappear into the role.
“Acting-wise it was the best experience I’ve had [on these films]. He’s been writing these characters for so long and he knows them so deeply. I suddenly felt more connected to my character than I ever have been before.”
The actress also added that the day-to-day production of Dark Phoenix was much, much smoother and more organized than previous X-Men films.
“It was unrecognizable. Everything was on time. Everything was organized. These movies have always been fun amidst chaos, and now they were fun with no chaos.”
It remains to be seen whether this positive experience will encourage Lawrence to stay on for another movie, though something tells us that this might be the last hurrah for her as Mystique. After all, we know that one major character will meet their end in the film.
Will it be the blue mutant, though? We’ll find out when X-Men: Dark Phoenix hits theaters on November 2nd, 2018.
