Ben Foster portrayed the mutant Angel a.k.a. billionaire Warren Worthington III, in the maligned ‘X-Men 3: The Last Stand’, a film so unpopular with fans that it was wiped from existence at the end of ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’, and Foster’s Angel went with it. But that’s okay, he’s not the only mutant being reinvented in the new picture ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’. Many of the core X-Men have been recast with younger actors and the same goes for The Angel, who is now portrayed by British import Ben Hardy.
Though he is a new name in the U.S., his role on long-running British soap ‘Eastenders’ makes him already well-known in his native Great Britain. As such, he has landed the cover to the British magazine ‘Attitude’ in which he shows off his angelic looks and discusses his role in ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’.
As we know, despite his boyish appearance, this Angel is a bit grittier and is introduced as a mutant cage fighter in an underground ring in Germany. Earlier this week, director Bryan Singer shared an image of Angel besting opponent The Blob.
In the magazine, Hardy explains:
“In terms of my character, Angel is quite angry and I put that down to him being an outsider. People who don’t get looked after enough can end up being very angry and I feel like this is where Angel’s anger comes from and maybe that gives him the potential to transform and become one of the villains.
“Yeah he can’t hide [his mutation]. I think that’s definitely a part of it. But I mean I can’t really say too much without giving away parts of the storyline, which is annoying, but I think that’s definitely part of it.
“When we first see him in the film, without saying too much, he’s in a position and a place where he’s kind of being used for his mutant powers. I don’t think he necessarily starts off as a villain, but I don’t necessarily start off as good. He’s kind of neutral, I would say. I think the audience are really gonna like the transformation.”
Speaking of that, the picture above offers an up-close view of Hardy after his character transforms into Archangel, a more lethal version of himself. The face tattoos are interesting, particularly the inscription above his eyes. I have no idea what they mean, but it’s clearly writing of some kind, perhaps Egyptian, as Big Bad Apocalypse hails from that nation.
Because ‘Attitude’ is a fashion/lifestyle magazine geared toward gay men, Hardy drew comparisons between the struggle for equal rights for the LGBTQ community and the cinematic mutants.
“I remember [director Bryan Singer] saying that was one of the attractions of doing the first X-Men film. He felt it was something that could relate to those movement and to that kid at school who doesn’t feel like he belongs, doesn’t feel like a part of society, feels like an outcast, or feeling like they’re not a part of society.”
Check out the cover and one of the interior photos from his 10-page feature in the magazine:
The digital version of the magazine is available now and the print version will be available later this week.
Does Ben Hardy properly capture the qualities of Warren Worthington III? How will he compare to Ben Foster?
‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ starring Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Ben Hardy, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Sophie Turner, Lana Condor, Olivia Munn, and Oscar Isaac opens in theaters on May 27, 2016.
Source: Attitude
These pictures make Jason feel old. You can follow his old ass on Twitter.
