Most comic book fans will recognize Daniel Cudmore. Sure, it would be hard to miss him because he stands 6ft 7in, but he earned his recognition in the fanboy community by portraying Colossus in the
X-Men Movie franchise.
Newsarama got the chance to sit down with Cudmore and talk about his involvement with the X-Men movies, auditioning for
Superman Returns, and revealing that he auditioned for
Man Of Steel.
Q:Looking back at the X-Men franchise and your role as Colossus, was the plan always to have him become a major player in Last Stand?
"I don’t know. I don’t know those intricate details when it came to that. I know when I did it first, they were toying with the idea of “What do we do with the next one? Are we going to grow the character?” I was all for it. Colossus has so much more story, history and things that can be used in the film. Again, I don’t make those decisions. When X3 rolled around, I believe there was a bit of a bigger role, but it really just got down to....It’s like a totem pole and depending on where you rank on that, you get more screen time or less screen time. I know there was supposed to be more, but it got cut and changed around. At the end of the day, I’m happy I’m working. I don’t have the clout to be able to throw a hissy fit or voice my opinion as much. I would love to see more of Colossus and what he’s all about, as opposed to quick little cameos."
Q: In the movies, Colossus is the strong, but silent type. Did they ever ask you to practice a Russian accent?
"At first, I had a cattle call for X-Men 2, and this was at the very beginning of my career. After the cattle call and [after] they started to break down who the character was, I started to do my research. I rehearsed a Russian accent. Then when I got to shooting, maybe my Russian accent at the time wasn’t so great. Or, maybe it was the fact that Bryan Singer is not a big fan of accents. Every film he’s done, he’s had people do more of their natural accent, as opposed to trying to put on whatever it may be, so it doesn’t take away from their acting. Pyro was supposed to be Australian, Wolverine is supposed to be more Canadian and Storm was South African."
Q: At any point, was there talk about developing the iconic Peter/Kitty relationship?
"There were talks about that and then it sort of evolved into Iceman and Kitty. Again, totem pole and who has a bigger role. Sometimes, it’s who has a bigger name and maybe they see it more happening that way. I was so fresh and new, I didn’t even know what was happening."
Q: Reportedly, there were too many cooks in the kitchen for X-Men 3. Did you ever get the sense of that while filming?
"I don’t know. I don’t think I was there enough to really get the understanding of how the inner workings were going. Again, it was more of a cameo. I was there just doing my thing. I wasn’t there as much as some of the other actors were to get the inside of what was happening."
Q: It felt like Colossus, Kitty and Iceman were being groomed for a new generation of X-Men movies. Was that your impression as well?
"I started getting the feeling that maybe they might be going further. I think they decided to go in a different direction, and too bad. I would love to play him again, but where does he fit in the timeline and of which film?"
Q: You auditioned for Superman Returns. What do you recall about doing that?
"I auditioned for the one with Brandon Routh, which was not the greatest audition because I left acting for a year to pursue some sports. It was one of these auditions where my agent was like, “Just please go.” I was not in the headspace for acting. I needed some time away and I think the audition was probably just absolutely terrible. Then I auditioned for Man of Steel that is coming out. Really, I wanted them to see a good audition. I wasn’t having these aspirations of being the lead character."
For more on Cudmore's involvement with
Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn and
Twilight head over to
Newsarama. For the latest on the new X-Men film,
Days of Future Past and
Man Of Steel make sure you check back here at CBM.