MCU's Professor X Actor Says Filming Is "A Bit of a Nightmare"
Star of Girls, The Sinner and Poor Creatures talks about how he reacted to taking on the role.
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/uploads/conteudo/fotos/img-1013744-christopher-abbott.webp "Christopher Abbott/Publicity")
Image credits: Christopher Abbott/Publicity
Christopher Abbott is still trying to process the magnitude of the opportunity to play Professor X in Marvel's new X-Men movie.
In an interview with New York Magazine, the actor described the news as "part of a dream and part of a nightmare," mainly because he realized that many people present at the D23 Expo announcement were still unfamiliar with his work.
“I started walking out pretty enthusiastically, and then I kind of felt like a lot of people there didn’t know who I was, so then my energy shifted within the split second. I was a little more humble about it,” Abbott said. According to the actor, he even considered celebrating with a punch in the air when he entered the event, but felt the applause dwindle. “It feels almost like a video game, or a dream. Not a good dream. It’s a bit of both – a bit of a dream and a bit of a nightmare,” he stated.
Abbott was announced at D23 as Charles Xavier, following in the footsteps of Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy, who previously played the character in earlier films. McAvoy previously shared his advice for Abbott and recalled his own experience participating in a reboot of the franchise. “Just enjoy it. Enjoy it and explore. Discover something,” said the actor, highlighting that both Stewart and himself built their own versions of the character.
Everything you need to know about the new X-Men
The movie, directed by Jake Schreier (Thunderbolts*), is set to premiere on May 5, 2028 and will star Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Inde Navarette as Rogue, Adam Driver as Mr. Sinister, Christopher Abbot as Professor X, Kit Connor as Cyclops, Samara Weaving as Emma Frost and Maya Boyd as Storm.
X-Men had a long run in theaters, with films produced by Fox since the early 2000s. An initial trilogy was made, and later the mutant group went through a sort of reboot, with an entirely new cast. In 2019, Fox was acquired by Disney, which has since been paving the way for the characters’ return to the big screen under new leadership.
