Alan Cumming didn’t know who he was acting with ‘half the time’ during Avengers: Doomsday filming
Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler in X2. (Disney/Marvel)
Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler in X2. (Disney/Marvel)
Alan Cumming has been dishing on his return as Nightcrawler in the eagerly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday.
The bisexual star, who played the blue teleporter in 2003’s X2, is reprising the role as he joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the fifth Avengers film.
Alongside Cumming, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, and Kelsey Grammar are returning as Professor X, Magneto, Cyclops, Mystique, and Beast from the Fox X-Men films.
In an interview with Gold Derby recently, the Emmy-winning actor and presenter touched on filming Doomsday. Though, he offered little in the way of plot details for those looking for information on the film.
“Lots of green screen”
“I did the entire film in isolation,” Cumming said. “Lots of green screen, face replacement. They even gave characters fake names. I don’t know who I was acting with half the time.” He then seemed to reference an occasion where he “broke the internet by mentioning something once.” Cumming then added, “But honestly, I might have got it wrong.”
The occasion he is possibly referring to was an interview The Traitors host did in May. Speaking with Buzzfeed UK Cumming revealed, “I’m sort of learning these fights and I’m like, what, who am I fighting with?…you’re hitting Pedro Pascal.” The Last of Us‘ Pascal will star as Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards in Doomsday after debuting in The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
In another interview with People where he discussed Doomsday, Cumming said returning as Nightcrawler was “really healing.” He also called X2 a “terrible experience.” The actor has discussed previously not enjoying his time on X2 due to the extensive make up process his character required as well as having issues with director Bryan Singer.
He also told People he shot his scenes “really quickly” after production “squashed [my scenes] all together, and got a green screen and various things and little scenes of people here and there.” This was presumably to free him so he could resume his hosting duties on The Traitors.
The actor has also recently taken to Instagram to share images from behind-the-scenes of Doomsday. One image showed the actor’s prosthetic fangs, while another showed a box marked ‘confidential waste’. The sign on the box features two images, one of Nightcrawler from the comics. Meanwhile, the other has been confirmed to be fan art imagining Cumming’s version of the character in a comic-accurate costume.
The Fox X-Men films have been criticised for doing away with the comic-book accurate costumes. Fans are hoping that with some of the character returning, Marvel will give them their proper lewks, especially after Deadpool and Wolverine.
Avengers: Doomsday is due in cinemas in May 2026.
