We all know how gloriously "X2" did at the box office this spring and it certainly created significant buzz for a possible third round. I had the chance of catching up with Anna Paquin, now on summer break from college, to discuss her thoughts on doing "X3" and how her life has changed with the success of this sci-fi sensation.
With the phenomenal success of "X2" – are you looking forward to an "X3?"
I have no idea if they are making one. I haven’t actually heard anything. I think they are still reeling from the excitement around "X2." I don’t know what’s happening with "X-Men 3."
Would you be excited if they were to get everyone back for another round?
If it was the same team, yes. That’s not set in stone like "X-Men 1" and "X2." It would really depend on who all would be involved because part of what was really special about that experience was that we were doing this great, big, fantastical, movie with all these really serious, very talented, actors and directors. How often are you going to see Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in one movie and have it be something that’s very – I don’t know? All those kinds of people, it’s just awesome to work with and then putting it into a sort of "not-real" environment, having all the effects, it was just a really cool experience that you never get anywhere else. If they could do that again – absolutely. But who knows? I think everyone’s schedules were pretty complicated on the second one and to try to get all eleven of us back together, I have no idea how they will manage to pull that off for "X3."
How have these films changed your fan base?
It’s a lot bigger in general because a lot more people saw those movies than see small independent movies that come out in a few theaters.
Do you get approached more?
Yes. It seems as if everyone my age has seen that movie as opposed to a few people. It feels as if in certain environments everyone has seen it, which is flattering but also really strange. Although, I’ve been working since I was very young, it has only been recently that that kind of thing happened in terms of the level of recognition. I had sort of gotten used to the fact that yes, I am an actor. I do my job. But no one really notices me when I walk down the street. Especially after "X2." It’s just gotten a lot more intense in terms of people actually recognizing me. I’m always surprised when people recognize me because I don’t think I would really notice if I saw some person who’d just been in a movie walking down the street. I don’t know if I’d notice that at all so it’s kind of flattering and amusing.
Was there ever a moment when you thought "Oh My God – there are about ten people staring at me right now?"
Oh yes. You walk into a Starbucks or a store and people get kind of quiet and try not to stare and it’s funny. It’s not what my whole life and personality is about that it just sort of amuses me. Also, I live near a theater that was playing "X-Men 2" so walking my dog got a little interesting. I’d slightly route the walk differently so I wasn’t walking past the movie theater with the ten posters up outside with all our faces on them when people who had just seen the movie were coming out. I really didn’t want to let people know what part of the city I live in!