X-Men director Bryan Singer has faced multiple sexual assault and misconduct allegations dating back to the late 1990s, involving both adults and minors. Those have derailed the filmmaker's career, which is why he was dropped from the ill-fated Red Sonja movie.
Singer's Hollywood future remains uncertain, but he previously helmed X-Men, X2: X-Men United, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and X-Men: Apocalypse. For better or worse, he had a sizeable impact on the franchise, including the casting of Sir Patrick Stewart.
Now, Singer has shared a rare post on social media to share his tribute to the legendary actor who brought Professor X to life in Fox's X-Men Universe.
"Patrick Stewart's passing has brought back decades of memories, and I wanted to share a few candid photographs from our time together," he wrote. "First, my heart goes out to his wonderful wife, Sunny. I could never recount all the experiences Patrick and I shared, both professionally and personally, in a single post. He was far more than a cast member and a friend. He was a teacher."
"Every time I watched Patrick approach a role, whether onstage or on set, I learned something. His command of language, his understanding of character, the precision with which he could deliver an emotion or change the pace of a scene," Singer continued. "He possessed a grace and confidence that only a lifetime devoted to the craft could produce, and he made even the most difficult performances seem effortless."
Later, the director said that Stewart was "a wonderfully fun and adventurous man" and shared a few more personal memories that you can read in the Instagram post below.
James McAvoy, who played the young Professor X in Fox's X-Men prequel movies—X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix—has also paid his respects to his fellow Charles Xavier.
"Wherever you’re going I know you’ll go boldly," he wrote. "I was lucky enough to work with Sir Patrick a number of times and he was always lovely to me. First as a fan and then as a colleague I count myself lucky to have gone with you for a short time."
Tributes to Stewart have flooded social media, with it clear that the actor's impact on the industry and the people he crossed paths with was immeasurable.