Edi Gathegi and Caleb Landry Jones Answer Fan Questions About X-Men: First Class
Posted 04.07.11 by Ryan
Comic book fans have had four opportunities to ask questions of the cast and crew of director Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class adaptation via the "X-Perts" feature on the movie's official Facebook page. Producer Bryan Singer revealed the one mutant he didn't get to include in the movie and discussed some of his creative decisions about the movie's story. Nicholas Hoult, who plays Henry "Hank" McCoy, aka Beast, discussed playing the character in various stages of transformation, while Rose Byrne and Oliver Platt discussed the government's role in the movie and the lack of Scottish accents.
The latest cast members to answer questions are Caleb Landry Jones, who plays Sean Cassidy, aka Banshee, and Edi Gathegi as Armando Muñoz, aka Darwin. Both characters have been shown only in flashes in the movie's first trailer and the subsequent Russian trailer, so it's not a surprise that Jones' answers are brief.
Q: In the movie, will you wear the yellow-and-green uniform from the comics?
Caleb Landry Jones: Yellow, blue, and black.
Q: What is your relationship with Moira in the film?
CLJ: Strictly platonic.
Q: In the comics Banshee is roughly the same age as Professor X — because there isn't much reference to a younger Banshee in the comics did you have more freedom to portray the character?
CLJ: Not really. Only his motives should be less developed. Not yet the man he is to become.
Q: What was the coolest part of your role in the film?
CLJ: The character's appetite for a good party.
Q: I was wondering if Banshee's powers will be limited to just the sonic scream, or will he be flying as well in this movie?
CLJ: He learns to use most of his powers. This entails flight.
Q: Will we see a connection between Banshee and Siryn, who appeared in the trilogy, in this film?
CLJ:Not in the script but then again I haven't seen the completed film yet.
Q: While filming or reading the script for Banshee did you ever feel a sort of connection with your own life or feelings?
CLJ: Only that he has trouble fitting in.
Q: What do you think makes Banshee such a cool character?
CLJ: His naively destructive personality sprinkled with wit.
Gathegi's answers were considerably longer, so the following area few of the selected answers from his Q&A.
Q: I'm not too familiar with Darwin. Can you give me a rundown of who this Darwin is?
Edi Gathegi: Darwin, a mutant, is a relatively new addition to the X-Men comic world. Nicknamed after Charles Darwin — father of the theory of evolution — Darwin adapts to harsh environments based on an instinctual need to survive. His ability is called reactive adaptation. I want that power in real life — I'm not gonna lie.
Q: Will Darwin transform into his pale form?
EG: Not only will Darwin transform into his pale form, but he will also transform into his obese form, his female form, and even his bovine form. Totally messing with you. You just have to wait to see what transformations occur. No spoilers here, buddy. Not today. Not evah. No way.
Q: In the comics, Darwin was discovered by Moira MacTaggert. Is this the same in X-Men: First Class?
EG: In our film Darwin is discovered by the mutant recruiters (I totally made up that term). I won't tell you who's on that recruiting team — it's better to be surprised.
Q: What's it like being a part of two enormous franchises — Twilight and now X-Men? Do you feel pressure from fans?
EG: I've learned that you can't please everyone. And everyone has an opinion. Not everyone will like what you do and by that same token not everyone will hate it either. So the best thing I can do for my general overall happiness, the work, and the simple enjoyment of the process is to attack the characters the best I can — taking into consideration the source material. When I can do that then it's much easier to handle the negative feedback. So to that end I don't really feel pressure from fans. I feel pressure from myself to do my best. I thank my lucky stars everyday that I am even in a position where I am answering questions like this. Two franchises? Pinch me, am I dreaming? Don't pinch me I don't wanna wake up.
Read Gathegi's entire Q&A here.
Next Showing: X-Men: First Class opens June 3