When an actor or an actress considers their next role, a number of factors could attribute to the acceptance or the denial. Maybe they want something that could win them an award. Or it’s possible that a story could become someone’s passion project and they would do anything to do the part. But for Olivia Munn, who can next be seen in ’X-Men: Apocalypse’ as fan favorite character Psylocke, she just wants to kick some ass.
In a recent interview with American Way Magazine (AKA the periodical found in the seat pocket in front of you on an American Airlines flight), Munn revealed that she was originally brought in to play a different character in the X-Men film franchise. As it turns out, she was up for the role of Vanessa Carlysle from the smash hit ‘Deadpool’, the girlfriend of Ryan Reynolds’ Wade Wilson and the part that ultimately went to Morena Baccarin. However, the article noted that she didn’t want to sign on to play the girlfriend again. Instead, she was looking for a role with more action. And once she got called in for Bryan Singer’s follow-up to ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’, the actress got exactly what she wanted, as she recalls in this excerpt from the cover story:
“I said, ‘Is there a fight scene?’ ” Munn says of her early meetings with the ‘X-Men: Apocalypse’ people. Once again, the filmmakers were full of assurances. Yet Munn couldn’t shake the feeling that there might be too much talking and not enough action. “The fight scene,” she says with a wry smile, “could be her monologue.”
For Munn, the brute strength of her character was an important issue, a make-or-break thing, and the discussions dragged on. “I thought Psylocke was always one of the most lethal characters, and I said, ‘Yes, as long as you’re not using her to be the eye candy. She has really powerful abilities.’ And they said, ‘Yes, that’s an important part.’ ”
As we’ve seen and heard in the past, Munn is extremely passionate about playing Psylocke. Now, we’ll finally get to see her take on the character when the movie hits theaters later this month. Hopefully, her enthusiasm for the part and her commitment to taking a variety of roles is reflected in her performance. But either way, we’ll see how it turns out sooner rather than later.
How do you think Olivia Munn would have done in ‘Deadpool’? Are you glad that she turned down the part of Vanessa and ended up as Psylocke? Share your thoughts and theories in the comment section.
‘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.
Despite being a “professional writer”, Ben likes run-on sentences and puns far too much. For more of his attempts at being funny and the occasional insightful thought, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
