The first X-Men film was iconic on so many different levels. Not only did it bring life to some of the most beloved characters from Marvel comics, but also laid the foundations for what we now know as the superhero genre. The film had an iconic cast, with actors like Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and James Marsden, taking up the roles of the iconic mutants.
However, the one thing well-known about the genre is that clothing isn’t the most comfortable and it would seem that the 2000 film first created such a notion. During an interview, Marsden once revealed that his and Jackman’s costumes were extremely uncomfortable for the first X-Men film.
So much so, that they were afraid that they would get fired because of how it was affecting their acting.
James Marsden and Hugh Jackman’s Costumes Were a Serious Problem
James Marsden once gave an interview with Variety where he went into great detail about some of the most successful works of his career. Naturally, X-Men was on the list. Having played the role of Cyclops, he was a significant part of these movies. During the interview, he talked about the filming process of the first film, revealing that he and Hugh Jackman had one very serious problem while filming.
Since they both played superheroes, they had specific costumes that fit the personality of the character that they were playing. Unfortunately, it would seem that both Wolverine and Cyclops seemed to like restricted movement. The actor revealed that both of their costumes were one-piece suits made of leather, which made moving around in them very difficult.
“Hugh and I, we put our suits on for the very first time and they were these one-piece, leather suits that had no side-to-side movement at the waist because it was all just one piece, and we had to vault over this wall and none of us could get over the wall because our suits were so stiff.”
They could barely move in their suits, which was quite an issue considering they were filming an action film. Marsden specified a scene that perfectly showed how this was a problem, revealing that in a scene, all the X-Men had to make it over a wall. While the rest of the cast did it successfully, he and Jackman found it especially difficult to make the scene look effortless.
James Marsden and Hugh Jackman Feared Getting Fired From X-Men
Cyclops has the power to shoot a beam of concussive force from his eyes, which can only be controlled with a pair of thin, red glasses. James Marsden went on to say that on top of not being able to move properly because of his suit, the glasses he was wearing as a part of his character made it extremely difficult for him to see.
“Add to that, that I couldn’t see out of these glasses or the visor that I was wearing. I’ve never felt less like a superhero. I think, at some point, we all were scared that we might lose our jobs on the first one.”
Although he was supposed to be playing a superhero, he could not move or see. It is safe to assume that such limitations would cause a hindrance in Marsden’s performance, as well as Jackman’s, who was fighting with fake metal claws. The actor revealed that considering just how difficult it was getting for them to act normally, both of them were afraid that they would get fired from the film.
Thankfully, nothing of the sort happened and this became one of the most iconic films to have ever come out of the superhero genre.
