Scottish Actor's Shocking Marvel Comeback After 20-Year Absence
The 60-year-old star describes his Hollywood Walk of Fame honor as 'actually insane' while revealing his unexpected return to the superhero franchise that once made him miserable.
The Scottish performer recently described his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony as 'actually insane,' joining entertainment legends like Robert De Niro, Alfred Hitchcock, Marilyn Monroe, Cate Blanchett, and even Godzilla on the famous boulevard. The 60-year-old actor, who currently hosts The Traitors on American television, spoke with reporters before receiving his star this month about his unexpected career trajectory.
'It's something so out of my expected career path or even my mental periphery. I am so grateful and kind of shocked by it. But it really has made me take stock and realize what an incredible journey I've had and how much I was helped by so many people in Hollywood and in America,' he said.
The January 8 ceremony brought together an eclectic group of supporters. Fellow Scottish actor Brian Cox from Succession attended alongside close friend Monica Lewinsky, TikTok personality Dylan Mulvaney, and his husband Grant Shaffer. 'As you get older, you realize that you are a product of everything that's happened to you: I owe so much to being Scottish in terms of my training and the opportunities I was given, and then coming to America and having this incredible new range of opportunities has allowed me to live in an incredible way that I never thought was possible,' the actor explained.
Teleporting Back to Marvel After Two Decades
This December brings an unexpected twist. The actor returns as Nightcrawler in Avengers: Doomsday, reprising the teleporting mutant he first portrayed in 2003's X-Men 2. That film opened with an unforgettable sequence where his blue-skinned, tail-wielding character stormed through the White House in spectacular fashion.
The casting surprised even him, especially since Kodi Smit-McPhee had taken over the role in later prequel films. 'It's interesting because that was one of the films that was not a great experience at all to make — and ended up being a really great film. I had a miserable time making it. All of us did. It's not finished yet, but it feels healing to go back to something that wasn't the greatest experience and enjoy yourself,' he revealed.
The difficult production experience changed his career choices. 'I realized that after X-Men, I stopped doing those kinds of bigger, blockbuster-type films. I purposely went away from that big machine because I didn't want to be an unhappy cog.'
Star-Studded Superhero Reunion
Doomsday reunites him with X2 veterans Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Rebecca Romijn, and James Marsden. The massive cast also features Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Pedro Pascal, Florence Pugh, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Chris Hemsworth, Channing Tatum, Simu Liu, Paul Rudd, Lewis Pullman, and Sebastian Stan, with additional appearances expected.