Famke Janssen and James Marsden: Superheroes in Love
Source: teenhollywood.com
By Lynn Barker
She first came to our attention as James Bond assassin Xenia Onatop and you might have seen her as a the hot, up-to-no-good, wife of Geoffrey Rush in House on Haunted Hill. He was Ally McBeals love interest and was in Disturbing Behavior with Katie Holmes and Nick Stahl. In X-2, Famke Janssen and James Marsden repeat their original X-Men roles as telepathic Jean Grey and her optic powered supercrush Cyclops. Both are part of a love triangle with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) that is more fully explored in the new film.
When we talked with the duo recently, we got an earfull of on the set madness and blooper-reel moments that made for a very funny conversation. Anything is fair game with these two. Famke brought her constant companion, a cute doggie name Licorice who eventually curled up in her lap and went to sleep.
We asked the two about their superpowers of choice: Famke: To be in multiple places at the same time or a time travel thing would be great. Travelling is such a nightmare now. James: I would forward my power to my wife. She could take Rebeccas power (shapeshifting). Hey that would be fun. Do a little role playing. But I always picked that I wanted to fly before.
James: Yeah. Hes a little over two. He plays with my action figure which is kind of cool. I dont know that he knows its me but he calls it daddy doll. He was calling it daddy for a long time and we thought that was kind of weird. Make sure he knows its actually a toy.
TeenHollywood: Is your wife an actress?
James: Yeah, she is but we have our boy so the last two years shes been kind of out of the business and been mom. Weve been together for seven years. Shes from Nashville and Im from Oklahoma. Not native Californians. We just stay in our house in Studio City and never leave. Not really, but we dont get out that often. I travel enough with movies. You associate traveling with work so its just nice to sit in your own place and be a hermit.
TeenHollywood: How weird is it that, with Cyclops visor, more people recognize you with sunglasses on?
James: Youre right. Most actors would put sunglasses on to be incognito and Im the direct opposite.
TeenHollywood: The junior X-Men actors said they all hung out while shooting. How about you guys?
Famke: We all hung out. Ian McKellan always had parties at his house in Vancouver. He was the ring leader.
At this point, James starts grinning. Should he tell?
James: Have you guys seen the gag reel? Its hilarious. There was a photo taken at Ians house of Patrick [Stewart] and Ian and Bryan Cox doing this kind of follies dance step thing and it looked kind of ******ed and they intercut it with when Bryan Cox comes into the President and goes look at these photos and the President goes what the hell is this? In the gag reel they cut to this photo of Ian and Patrick with a feather boa around their necks. Its great. [huge laughter] Itll probably be on the DVD. I would actually like to find out how much money we lost on the amount of film that was rolled on these ridiculous things. The gag reel is like an hour and a half long.
Famke: There was also Hugh running around naked. [whoa
do tell]
James: He was running through the corridors in this nightmare scene and he had this little flesh-colored speedo on. He was like, I dont wanna, lets just take it off. They had a closed set but [director] Bryan [played a joke]. He got all the women on the set and as Hugh turns this corner they lined up and hes going rrrowwww [growling.] Hes getting in character and screaming and theyre all like yeahhhh! [Famke and James clap and cheer]. My mother was there right in the front! Hugh, hes so great, he just went up and hugged them and turned around and stuck his butt out. I cant believe we ever got the movie made.
TeenHollywood: How was it to come back after a few years and play these characters again?
Famke: I felt rusty in the beginning. I kind of had forgotten what she was about. I just worked my way through it.
James: All the familiarity came back once we got on set and into the costumes. [At this point an assistant carries Famkes pooch Licorice, a cute Boston Terrier, into the room and puts him on her lap.. everybody oooohs and ahs. James continues
] Everywhere we go its awwwwww.
Famke: But you bring your kid all the time.
James: My kid doesnt bite people. I can answer more questions about Licorice than I can about this movie. [Licorice starts sloppily lapping water out of a saucer on the table]. Okay, getting back into character. It was kind of easy. There were two years that passed. Once I put that costume on again..and it was modified, it was two pieces instead of one, it was like no time had passed at all. Im in the visor and the suit and Im comfortable again.
TeenHollywood: How weird is it to try to act without using your eyes? [Cyclops always wears the visor over his eyes].
James: Theres no way of getting around it. It was a handicap, trying to figure out acting tricks around it. On this film, I think Ive got it down. It really comes down to believing in the dialogue and acting as if you werent handicaped by the glasses.
TeenHollywood: How is working with director Bryan Singer?
Famke: I think hes very good. My favorite example of Bryan is hes standing by the monitor and it looks like his attention is going everywhere but on the actor but at the end of the rehearsal, hell pick out exactly what did or didnt work about it. You never think you have his full attention but hes so clever at finding out what works.
TeenHollywood: What are the challenges as actors when there is so much physical action?
Famke: For us, I dont think were so physical in the film. It felt like the Special Olympics towards the end but I have a lot of green screen. Im limping around. You (looking at James) are sort of carrying me.
James: The funniest shot in the movie is us trying to get on the jet. Were the last to get on. Shes limping. Its sad. Were the lame X-Men.
Famke: That part of the movie felt the longest while we were shooting it so I really felt that all I did in the whole film was limp around.
TeenHollywood: There is a love triangle in this movie; you guys and Hugh. Did you all discuss it?
James: I dont talk to him but she does.
Famke: I discussed it privately in my room (shes teasing).
TeenHollywood: Ooookay. Is there an audience for this film outside of the comic book fans?
Famke: I think that every age group, every generation is being represented and theres a lot of great, strong female characters. Theres something for everybody. Its an action, sci-fi film thats smarter than you would generally expect for the genre. I think it has humor. Kids will get a lot out of it but adults will too on a completely different level.
James: Its like The Simpsons
not really.
TeenHollywood: Does that green screen effects work [where you are acting against something that isnt there] ever get easier?
Famke: Im the Queen of the green screen. Its one of those things that, unless you trust your director, its really hard to do. If you work with somebody you trust and they tell you exactly whats going to happen, what youre supposedly looking at, its much easier. Ive done two movies with Bryan and in this case Mike Fink who is our special effects guy, is always present when you do those things and hell show you an animatic and you get a good sense of what it is.
James: Those animatics really help. Its a way of animating the storyboards in computer form.
Famke: Its very precise. The hand needs to be in a very specific place and the wind machines are blowing and theyre gigantic and you cant hear anything and the camera is so far away and youre standing in the cold. Its a matter of knowing exactly what you have to do to make it work. We had no idea what it was going to finally look like.
TeenHollywood: Famke, you are in Eulogy with Kelly Preston and Zooey Deschanel. What is that about?
Famke: I just finished it about a week ago and its got a great cast. Its a comedy. First time director wrote the script and the script is hilarious. Its also got Ray Romano, Deborah Winger and Hank Azzaria. I play Kelly Prestons gay partner and she takes me home to her fathers funeral and announces our wedding there which doesnt go over very well. The whole family is so crazy that thats the least of it.
TeenHollywood: James are you going to do The Preacher (based on the comic) playing Jesse?
James: Its a little premature because its not ready yet. But, they have come to me with an offer. I became a huge fan of the comic once I learned about it. I would be very excited about playing that role but all the elements arent together just yet.
