An Original X-Men Stars Reveals Extensive Make-up Time for Avengers: Doomsday

It’s not hidden that some actors in the X-Men universe needed extensive makeup to prepare for their screen time, as openly admitted by Rebecca Romijn after playing Mystique in Fox’s X-Men series. During an interview about Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Romijn discussed her return to the character for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and shared insights on the updated makeup process for Avengers: Doomsday. According to the actor, she now spends up to seven hours daily in makeup before filming begins on the new Marvel Studios movie.

It now requires just slightly less time, about ten hours compared to previous films where Romijn starred as Mystique in the original X-Men movies, to apply her full body makeup and prosthetics. Transforming into Mystique physically is a lengthy process, but Romijn has always found it tolerable. She even shared that she enjoys the process as it helps her get into character. “I believe that enduring nine hours of makeup makes you grumpy enough to convincingly play the villain Mystique!

The film titled “Avengers: Doomsday” is being filmed in the UK at present, with Joe and Anthony Russo resuming their directorial roles. These directors have previously worked on movies like “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” and “Avengers: Endgame” for Marvel Studios. Interestingly, this will be the first time the Russo brothers are collaborating with the X-Men characters in a big-screen production. Alongside Romijn, other X-Men cast members such as Kelsey Grammer (as Beast), Patrick Stewart (as Charles Xavier), Ian McKellen (as Magneto), James Marsden (as Cyclops), and Alan Cumming (as Nightcrawler will also be featured in the “Avengers” movie.

In the initial X-Men series comprising the films “X-Men” (2000), “X2: X-Men United” (2003), and “X-Men: The Last Stand” (2006), Romijn initially played the role of Mystique. Additionally, she made a brief, unacknowledged appearance as the character in “X-Men: First Class”. However, it was Jennifer Lawrence who portrayed Mystique in the subsequent trilogy, which included a different makeup process compared to Romijn’s. For the “First Class” series, Lawrence opted for a body suit, significantly reducing the makeup time to approximately three hours. Most of her time was spent on face painting during the transformation into Mystique.

As fans eagerly anticipate Romijn reprising her role as Mystique, they have the chance to watch the initial X-Men films on Disney+ in the meantime. Additionally, viewers can see the actress portraying Number One in the highly praised Star Trek series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which just began its third season on Paramount+.

The upcoming Marvel Studios film titled “Avengers: Doomsday” is scheduled to premiere in theaters on December 18, 2026. This will be succeeded by “Avengers: Secret Wars” approximately a year later, on December 17, 2027.

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2025-07-21 03:39