Rebecca Romijn says slipping back into Mystique’s skin for Avengers: Doomsday was an emotional and somewhat disorienting experience, one that brought on a wave of nostalgia, surreal dreams, and even a sense of closure.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter at San Diego Comic-Con, the actor reflected on what it meant to reprise her iconic X-Men role nearly two decades after she last played the shape-shifting mutant in X-Men: The Last Stand.
“It was very surreal to be with my old cast as well as a new cast,” she said, describing the time she spent filming. “I had crazy dreams while I was there for a large chunk of shooting. Like, really kind of regressive dreams. My brain was really trying to organise. Like, wow, this is a character I played 25 years ago, 20 years ago. Yeah, [it was] very surreal.”
Romijn revealed that stepping into the role this time felt different and more empowered. “Oh, I know her very well. I went back in with full ownership of her,” she said. “It was very nice to go back and play that character, because I had imposter syndrome in the very beginning. I thought, maybe at the very beginning, I was just cast because I happened to be the model who was available to play Mystique at that moment. I mean, I auditioned and I got the role, but when you’re very young, you’re like, Do I deserve to be here? And I did not have that going back this time. It was a very different experience.”
But despite the emotional reconnection, Romijn admitted she’s unsure if her work on the film is done, because the full script is still a work in progress. “The script hasn’t—they haven’t finished writing it,” she said. “I’m not quite sure [if I’m done filming]. It’s been very, very fun, and we don’t know yet. They keep everything very close to the vest themselves in an effort to keep everything under wraps.”
Pressed further, the actor stayed tight-lipped about plot details and her co-stars, playfully dodging questions about who she’d shared scenes with. “I cannot confirm nor deny that I have read the entire script,” she said, adding, “I can’t say” who she acted alongside.
Marvel officially announced the Avengers: Doomsday cast in March, confirming the return of several legacy X-Men actors from the original 20th Century Fox films. Alongside Romijn, the ensemble includes Patrick Stewart as Professor X, Ian McKellen as Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, and Kelsey Grammer as Beast.
Romijn made her debut as Mystique in the original X-Men trilogy, appearing in X-Men (2000), X2 (2003), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), with a brief cameo in X-Men: First Class (2011). Avengers: Doomsday marks her long-awaited return to the Marvel fold in a universe that now blends characters across timelines and franchises.