Interview with Shawn Ashmore
April 22, 2003 by Kim Ziervogel
Filed under Celebrity Interviews
Shawn Ashmore’s excited to talk about his new film X-2. He’s on the verge of divulging secrets of the next X-Men movie but he checks his enthusiasm and holds back imperative information from the die-hard fans. “You’ll just have to go see the movie,” he teases.
From his home in Los Angeles (he splits his time between L.A. and Toronto) Ashmore is ecstatic that his role has been expanded for the sequel to the blockbuster X-Men, starring Academy Award winners Halle Berry and Anna Paquin as well as Ian McKellan and Hugh Jackman.
Ashmore plays Bobby Drake also known as Iceman. During the first X-Men movie a relationship developed between his character and that of Paquin’s character Rogue. This time around the producers expanded on that.
“Bobby is still a student at the school, but it focuses a little more on Rogue and Bobby’s relationship and his role at the school,” explains Ashmore. He, like his other co-stars, is very guarded with what he will say about the new film. He does let it slip that Bobby is brought more into the fold of the X-Men team. But he won’t say if he gets to don one of those nifty leather outfits that the criminal-fighting team wears.
Even with the natural relationship that developed between Rogue and Bobby in the first film, the 23-year-old actor wasn’t sure if he would be invited to reprise his role.
“I sort of heard rumours here and there that I might get a part in the second film, but I had no idea really until about a month and a half before the movie started shooting,” he says. But once he got the call to say the studio wanted him back for the second movie he was overwhelmed.
“I was absolutely excited. I just didn’t know if it was going to happen for sure.”
But happen it did. And instead of a two week shoot like he had the first time around now he would be on set for the entire five-month filming of the movie, set to be premiere in Canada on May 2nd.
Bobbys abilities are also more prevalent in the second movie. Although Ashmore didn’t say what exactly we see of his special powers, he does says that Iceman can manipulate water molecules.
“Any sort of moisture in the air he can make into what he wants. He can freeze a glass of water. He can create structures and forms out of ice. He can create forms, he can send a little blast of frost.”
With special effects galore expected, Ashmore admits that acting against a blue screen where effects are added digitally afterwards can be challenging.
“Your imagining a whole world happening around you. It’s always a bit of a challenge but kind of fun.”
The only minor actor from the first movie to return in the second film Ashmore hopes that X-2 will open more doors for him in Hollywood but then re-thinks his position.
“At the end of the day the experience of working with the amazing cast that we had and the director Bryan Singer, just for the simple fact that if it doesn’t open any doors, I feel like I’ve learned a lot and have become more confident as an actor.”
IMAGE GALLERY
Loading ...