Jennifer Lawrence reveals which ‘X-Men’ experience she is not willing to repeat
The Oscar winner recalled one of the most uncomfortable aspects of her time in the Marvel franchise.
Jennifer Lawrence has categorically ruled out returning to play Mystique, the mutant character she portrayed in four films of the X-Men saga between 2011 and 2019. The Oscar-winning actress stated that she has no intention of ever again undergoing a makeup and prosthetics process as demanding as the one required for that role.
The admission came during an interview with Allure magazine, when she was asked whether she would ever consider wearing elaborate prosthetics again, like those required for her character.
“Never say never, but absolutely not,” Lawrence replied, as reported by Allure. “Do you know how cold airbrushing is? And I’m ticklish. I learned how little sleep I can get and what can happen to the human mind when you’re truly pushed to your limit. And the patience required!” the actress added, in comments shared by the magazine. “My least favorite part was, without a doubt, the paint.”
The grueling process of becoming a mutant
The reason behind her refusal stems from the physical transformation the character required. To become the blue-skinned Mystique, Lawrence had to endure full-body makeup sessions that lasted eight hours every time she was scheduled to film.
She explained this during an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast: “For First Class, it was all body paint and glue. It was eight hours every single time, and it was very ticklish,” Lawrence recounted. “Have you ever been airbrushed? Imagine two small, cold airbrushes spraying all over your body. I’m a hero. No one will ever understand what I went through,” she added.
The discomfort was not limited to standard filming sessions. Even before landing the role, Lawrence had to undergo a screen test that involved having her hair dyed several different colors in a single day—ranging from red to brown, black, and blonde. The dye ended up permanently damaging her hair, as the actress revealed to Variety.
Despite the challenges posed by the makeup, Lawrence noted one aspect of the shoot that she actually enjoyed: the action sequences and the physical demands they entailed.
“My favorite part of playing Mystique was the stunts,” the actress stated in an interview with Allure. “It was so much fun training that way and learning how to move. I had the same stunt double, Renee Moneymaker, who worked with me on The Hunger Games as Katniss’s double. She’s one of my best friends, so that was great,” she added.
Rebecca Romijn to reprise the character in the Marvel Universe
Lawrence played Mystique in X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and X-Men: Dark Phoenix—the film in which the character was killed off. Prior to Lawrence taking on the role, Rebecca Romijn had portrayed the mutant in the original X-Men trilogy. According to Collider, Romijn will reprise the role after two decades in the upcoming film Avengers: Doomsday.
Meanwhile, Marvel Studios is moving forward with a relaunch of the X-Men franchise within its cinematic universe. Although some of the core cast for this new iteration has already been confirmed, it has not yet been announced who will play Mystique in this new version.
