Jennifer Lawrence Says ‘Absolutely F–king Not’ to Ever Playing Mystique Again
Jennifer Lawrence’s career took off well before she ever turned blue, but the shape-shifting mutant Mystique still became one of her most recognizable roles across four X-Men films. In a new interview with Allure, Lawrence made clear she has no plans to ever climb back into that makeup chair, even as the X-Men franchise prepares for a very different kind of comeback.
Lawrence Isn’t Sitting in the Makeup Chair for 8 Hours Again
Lawrence took over the role of the young Mystique from Rebecca Romijn starting with 2011’s X-Men: First Class, a process that reportedly required hours of airbrushed body paint for every appearance. Asked whether she would ever endure that process again, Lawrence didn’t hedge: “Never say never, but absolutely f–king not.” She told Allure the cold airbrushing and her own ticklishness made the sessions miserable, joking that the experience taught her how little sleep a person can survive on and what happens to the mind at its absolute breaking point. The stunt work, by contrast, was reportedly her favorite part of playing the character, largely thanks to training alongside her longtime stunt double and close friend Renee Moneymaker, who also doubled for her in the Hunger Games films.
Rebecca Romijn, who originated Mystique in the original X-Men trilogy, is stepping back into the role for Avengers: Doomsday.
A New Mystique Steps Into Avengers: Doomsday
Lawrence ended up playing Mystique across X-Men: First Class, Days of Future Past, Apocalypse, and 2019’s Dark Phoenix, where the character was killed off. She hasn’t appeared in a superhero film since. With the role now vacant, Romijn, who played the original trilogy’s Mystique before Lawrence, is reprising the part roughly two decades later for Avengers: Doomsday, out December 18. She joins a wave of other returning X-Men veterans in that film, including Ian McKellen as Magneto, James Marsden as Cyclops, Alan Cumming as Nightcrawler, and Kelsey Grammer as Beast, alongside Patrick Stewart’s posthumous final performance as Professor X.
Marvel Studios is separately developing an all-new X-Men reboot with a fresh cast, including Inde Navarrette as Rogue and Maya Boyd as Storm, currently set for May 2028. No casting has been announced yet for that version of Mystique, so for now Lawrence’s time in the blue paint looks to be over for good.
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Picture Source: Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 4.0), Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 3.0)
