X-MEN: Alexandra Shipp Hopes To See A Darker-Skinned Woman Play Storm In The MCU (Exclusive)

X-MEN: Alexandra Shipp Hopes To See A Darker-Skinned Woman Play Storm In The MCU (Exclusive)

Talking to us about her new film, Asking For It, Dark Phoenix star Alexandra Shipp reflects on her experience playing Storm and shares her hopes for the character's future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

By JoshWilding - Mar 07, 2022 03:03 PM EST
Filed Under: X-Men

Alexandra Shipp first played Storm in 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, and after a cameo role in Deadpool 2, her third - and final - appearance as Ororo Munroe came in Dark Phoenix. The critically-panned movie was released just three years after Shipp's Marvel Universe debut, bringing her stint as the iconic hero to a premature end (there had been tentative plans for her to take on a lead role in The New Mutants).

Earlier today, we spoke to Shipp about her new movie Asking For It, an edgy thriller about a no-mercy, all-femme gang that strives to take down a society overpowered by corrupt men and seek the ultimate revenge while getting their own version of justice. We asked the actress about how she looks back at her time as part of the X-Men franchise and wondered if she'd be open to returning as Storm.

"I loved the experience. I think it was so definitive of my 20s to be part of that," Shipp reflected. "I’d never worked on anything so big and to also be able to play not only one of my favourite superheroes growing up, but also reprising a role Halle Berry played was a huge honour."

"In future, I think I’d like to see a woman of darker complexion play Storm," she said of her future hopes for the hero. "I think it’s about time that we see that representation, and I’m more than happy to see that. I think it would be really great. The little girl in me would really like to see that."

While Sir Patrick Stewart will reprise the role of Professor X in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Marvel Studios' plans for the X-Men are a mystery for now. Victoria Alonso, President of Physical and Post Production, Visual Effects, and Animation Production, has previously suggested that the franchise's female characters will be at the forefront of what comes next, so that may bode well for Storm.

Asking For It is now in Theaters and Available on Digital & On Demand. Watch the trailer below:
 

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UnderBelly
UnderBelly - 3/7/2022, 3:31 PM
OVER HERE



Jolie Turner-Smith (Jackson?) is just beautiful.

Also I hope the actress would be down for dying her hair. storm has a history of using the worst wigs (DoFP aside). And that says alot, especially when looking at the MCU.
Blastaar
Blastaar - 3/7/2022, 3:44 PM
@UnderBelly - Jodie Turner-Smith although I don't like some of her weird "slave play" and other toxic comments, she IS absolutely beautiful and physically stunning, is a decent actress and looks just like Storm, height included.
UnderBelly
UnderBelly - 3/7/2022, 4:04 PM
@Blastaar - She definitely looks the part. Her acting is hit and miss for me, though I've still got to take in Queen and Slim..I think if Storm's given good writing she has potential to kill it!

I'm not aware of her comments and stuff. what's she said?
Origame
Origame - 3/7/2022, 3:32 PM
What does it even matter if it's already a black actress?
TheRationalNerd
TheRationalNerd - 3/7/2022, 3:34 PM
@Origame - I think she's referring to the proper portrayal of a character that comes from Kenya. The indigenous people there are more darker in skin tone.
comicfan100
comicfan100 - 3/7/2022, 3:43 PM
@Origame - It matters. Storm was always depicted as having darker skin. Colorsim is a real thing in the industry and it's the reason we've only ever had light skinned, biracial women play this Kenyan character in live action.
drbong
drbong - 3/7/2022, 3:58 PM
@TheRationalNerd - storm’s mom is a mutant w/white hair & eyes and her dad is just a Joe Shmoe from NYC...
Storm’s appearance has changed over the years.... to represent many different modern looking black women and it’s been done very well ...
Honestly this actress is spouting this now because she said some incredibly offensive nonsense when she originally got the role and ever since then the ladies especially on Twitter have not let off her neck and she knows that she is not coming back...this has nothing to do w/skin color
Disney does not care about that stuff!!
Just look at their moon knight casting
Origame
Origame - 3/7/2022, 4:29 PM
@TheRationalNerd - really don't see that based on the image. Besides, as stated by drbong, her heritage isn't entirely from that indigenous tribe.
Origame
Origame - 3/7/2022, 4:30 PM
@comicfan100 - thats the same logic people were using to say will Smith wasn't black enough for king Richard.
TheSuperMex
TheSuperMex - 3/7/2022, 5:31 PM
@Origame - colorism. I know you won’t be able to get your head around this concept.
Origame
Origame - 3/7/2022, 5:37 PM
@TheSuperMex - ...probably because it's ridiculously stupid.
TheSuperMex
TheSuperMex - 3/7/2022, 5:56 PM
@Origame - I mean if you couldn’t already understand, then maybe.
PhoenixBlade
PhoenixBlade - 3/7/2022, 6:21 PM
@Origame - I doubt you care, but media has forever discriminated against Black people. As Black people became more prominent, Black women in film and TV were more commonly light skinned or mixed race. While dark skinned women rarely got/get big roles. So when one of the few dark skinned female characters has twice been cast as a mixed woman, it continues the trend of dark skinned women not being cast in major films. As also mentioned, Storm is Kenyan and 100% Black.
eGGtheGreat
eGGtheGreat - 3/7/2022, 6:21 PM
@comicfan100 - how do you feel about characters that have always been white being played by a black person?
Origame
Origame - 3/7/2022, 6:43 PM
@TheSuperMex - yet you can't articulate it.
Origame
Origame - 3/7/2022, 6:53 PM
@PhoenixBlade - 1) I do care about the discrimination of black people in Hollywood. This isn't about whether a black person should have the role or if a darker skinned woman should have the role, but the implication that it has to be a darker skinned woman. And the implied criticism of a black woman who isn't dark enough. This has been too much of a problem in the black community. Black is black.

2) all black people struggled for roles. And it's not even like they're going against how the character was portrayed in the comics, as evident by the pic of both the dark Phoenix storm and her comic counterpart.

3) you clearly don't know what you're talking about. Her father is a photojournalist from New York. And while said father is black, there is a precedent for her being lighter skinned than a typical Kenyan. On top of, you know, HER SKIN COLOR!
PhoenixBlade
PhoenixBlade - 3/7/2022, 9:33 PM
@Origame -
TheSuperMex
TheSuperMex - 3/7/2022, 10:57 PM
@Origame - if you actually cared about discrimination, you would actually get what her and my statement.
Origame
Origame - 3/8/2022, 4:16 AM
@PhoenixBlade - ironically choosing a lighter colored black man for your gif there.
Origame
Origame - 3/8/2022, 4:18 AM
@TheSuperMex - and if you cared about the black community, you would stop trying to separate black people into groups and realize black is black.
TheRationalNerd
TheRationalNerd - 3/7/2022, 3:32 PM
She's not wrong. However, Storm has went through many different skin tones in the past. If you look at Claremont's earlier works Storm was light brown with blue eyes. I think as the years went on they considered to go more of the earth toned route.
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