They are one of the greatest double acts ever on stage and screen – and also in real life.
So, whilst we are thrilled to see Stewart back as the mutant mind-bender, we are equally sad not to see his partner in crime.
Logan wraps up the story of Wolverine with Hugh Jackman in thrilling style and Stewart has been talking about the evolution of his role – but also let slip how very unhappy McKellen was that he wasn’t included in this one.
The two actors recently appeared together on stage in London in the play No Man’s Land. They are frequently seen together at parties and even enjoy raising eyebrows by sharing a kiss on the red carpet.
Their personal friendship is as famous as the on-screen X-Men rivalry between Professor X and Magneto and they recently raised the roof at the Evening Standar Awards when Sir Ian came on stage in a huge pantomime frock.
No wonder he was so unhappy at being excluded from Logan.
Stewart told ScreenRant:” Ian and I just finished six months on stage together and I think he was quietly quite cross that he was left out of this film (Logan). And I missed him too.”
The actor has been keeping us guessing whether he would ever return to the role after Logan, but gave fans new hope when he added: “In a franchise like this I don’t think, despite the fact that Hugh [Jackman] has said it, you really can never say never again.
“I am open to any future interest there might be in another Charles Xavier.”
Stewart also shared his enjoyment of the way that his interpretation of Professor X keeps evolving to keep up with the ever-changing plots and timelines.
He said: It was an absolute treat. Diversity and contrast have always been very important to me in the work that I do. I’m not interested in repeating the same thing over and over and over again. Being the same kind of person.
“To already have existing a history of a character over five, maybe six movies, and then, to have him blown apart, Charles Xavier as he is in Logan was thrilling for me. A little challenging at times…”
Stewart continued: “We had to – and we did with James Mangold – spend a lot of hours talking about how are these changes visible and evident in Charles Xavier?
“How far can we push him? When does he retreat back inside himself? When, for any brief moments, does he become the Charles Xavier that we have known and hopefully liked over the years?
“All of that was just grist to the mill for me.”
Daily Express :: Entertainment Feed
