After working with filmmaker Matthew Vaughn on several movies - including Layer Cake and Kick-Ass - Jason Flemyng (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) boarded the cast of 2011's X-Men: First Class as the villainous Azazel.
Vaughn seemingly had big plans for the character, only for Bryan Singer's return to the franchise with X-Men: Days of Future Past to result in Magneto's original Brotherhood being killed off-screen. Nightcrawler's father got a second chance in Deadpool & Wolverine as one of The Void's Variants, but he was played by stuntman Eduardo Gago Munoz in place of Flemyng.
X-Men: The Last Stand star Vinnie Jones previously revealed that he turned down the chance to return as Juggernaut due to the hassle of donning the costume for such a minor role, and it was a similar situation for Flemyng.
Talking to us earlier today about his role in The Stoic, the British screen icon confirmed that Marvel Studios did reach out to him. However, when it became clear he was only needed for a few action scenes and a lot of time in the makeup chair, he declined the offer.
Flemyng would go on to explain the challenges of starring in a superhero movie and why, at this stage in his career, he'd rather "have a family than a figure" due to what these projects demand of actors.
You can watch (at the 7:28 mark) or read an excerpt from our conversation about his Marvel and Pennyworth roles below.
Deadpool & Wolverine came out this summer but you weren’t playing Azazel. Vinnie Jones said he was contacted and decided not to do it. Did they ever reach out to you?
It was the same thing. The same thing happened. Basically, they came to us and were like, ‘Would you like to do it? It’s three days fighting, two days makeup tests. Basically, you’ll be hired as a stunt performer.’ [frick], mate, listen, if I needed a couple of grand I’d have done it, but I didn’t at the time so I was like, ‘You know what, let a stunt man do it and they’ll do a good job. It’s fine.’ It’s actually not done me any harm because everyone keeps going, ‘Man, we saw you were in Deadpool, another big movie.’ Okay, if I get a few signatures at Comic-Con because I was in Deadpool, I’ll take it [Laughs].
Matthew [Vaughn] was going to come back for Days of Future Past before things changed. It looked like there were big plans for Azazel to be a big part of Magneto’s group. They killed your character off-screen, though, so were you disappointed that things didn’t pan out?
You know what, the truth is, those big movies are lucrative and fun to a degree. The reality is, you’re five months away from home. You put all that makeup up and they go, ‘Cut, thanks very much Jason. We’ll see you next Thursday.’ It can be wearing. Even though of course it’s a thrill and I grew up wanting to be in those big movies…even here, in Malaysia, people are like, ‘Oh, Azazel, Azazel, we love you!’ I’m doing pictures with that whole [pose] with the knives. That’s amazing, but the reality is, if you don’t want the money, it’s not very artistically fulfilling. By the way, my mum went to work every day and hated every minute of it so I’m not saying I need to love every minute of going to work, but those big movies are financially thrilling, and artistically disappointing.
I completely understand where you’re coming from. I can see how as an actor you’d want something more to sink your teeth into than a few days of stunts.
Yeah, I’d take The Stoic over Deadpool any day of the week.
[Laughs] Of course, you got another chance with comic books in Pennyworth and you did a lot more with that character.
That was great fun. I mean, there you go, that’s the point. When you go to work and you’re filming, you want to be on set every day. If you’re at home, it’s great. Pennyworth was at Leavesden and I could go home. If I was off for three or four days, it was fine but when you’re away from home on X-Men or Benjamin Button or anything like that, it’s really tough. It’s a choice. ‘Do I want to be away from my life, miss my kids and my wife or do I want to stay at home and choose the projects that are here?’ The truth is, when it’s David Fincher, I’ll go away but with Marvel and X-Men stuff, if Azazel came back, I’d love that, but now I’m probably in a position where I can say, ‘You know what guys, I totally get Azazel doesn’t speak much…maybe we could just do it over 9 weeks and then just shoot me out.’ Maybe they’d listen, maybe they wouldn’t. It’s nice to be in a position where you’re not absolutely gagging to do that. All the figures behind you, I can see them all…unless you commit, you ain’t getting a figure. That’s the difference. I’d rather have a family than a figure. That was good!
The Stoic is now available on Digital and On Demand.