The return of the X-Men to the Marvel universe is already accompanied by an unexpected anecdote. Expected in Avengers: DoomsdayIan McKellen will reprise the role of Magneto more than twenty-five years after his first appearance in the saga. But to portray a particularly intense scene of destruction, the British actor revealed that he found his inspiration in a very real target: Donald Trump.
A scene of anger fueled by a political reference
Invited to the Cinema in Piazza festival in Rome, Ian McKellen recounted, in comments relayed by The Guardian, a moment from the filming of the new Marvel movie. In a sequence where Magneto is supposed to cause widespread chaos in New Jersey using his powers, directors Anthony and Joe Russo reportedly asked him to heighten the emotional intensity of his performance and imagine that he genuinely hated what he was destroying.
According to this account reported by The GuardianThe 87-year-old actor immediately thought of Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's Florida residence. "So I just stood there and yelled, 'Mar-a-Lago!'" he explained to the audience. This was a way for the actor who played Magneto to fuel his performance by drawing on his avowed opposition to the American president.
A long-standing political commitment that goes beyond cinema
This statement is consistent with a long-standing stance taken by the British actor. A longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, Ian McKellen had already strongly criticized Donald Trump during his first term in the White House. In 2017, in a statement given to VarietyIn particular, he denounced certain decisions of the American administration concerning policies on equality and recognition of sexual minorities.
From a cinematic perspective, Avengers: DoomsdayThe film, expected in theaters on December 16, is set to mark the reunion of Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in the roles of Magneto and Professor X. Several media outlets are already discussing a return conceived as a pivotal moment for the historic X-Men characters within the grand Marvel narrative.
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