When X-Men: Apocalypse hits theaters this weekend, audiences will be introduced to a new generation of young X-Men which includes Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-Mcphee) and Storm (Alexandra Shipp).
Director Bryan Singer may be resetting the franchise with Apocalypse, but that doesn't mean the new cast isn't feeling the pressure from their predecessors' portrayals of their mutants characters. One such actress who's experiencing this burden is Shipp. As a result, she asked some advice from original Storm actress Halle Berry on how to make to portray the weather-bending mutant.
However, Shipp didn't exactly get the advice she was looking for from the Academy-Award winning actress.
In an interview with Yahoo Movies, Shipp shared how she asked Berry for some advice via email and how she didn't receive any reply at all.
The 24-year-old actress said:
I reached out to her. You know, Halle's got her show and her family and stuff. So I understand, she's got her thing going on. Also, I think that my email might have scared her because it was a lot of word vomit. Like, ‘Oh, my God, I love you, you're so amazing. What does your hair smell like? What perfume do youwear? If you had a favorite deodorant scent, what would it be?'
Well, with Shipp's statement, we understand why Berry, or probably her people, decided to ignore or maybe delete that email. In her defence, Shipp also explained in the interview why she thinks it's important to put her own flavor to the character.
Shipp said:
I was like, ‘All right, hold on. People aren't going to want to see you be Halle Berry. Otherwise they're going to want Halle, you know? You got to find your own Storm. You got to find who you think Storm is in these moments and in this time in her life.'
That said, it also wouldn't hurt if she looked to the comics to find some inspiration. The character was introduced there after all.
By retrospect, when Sophie Turner asked Famke Janssen for some advice on playing Jean Grey, Janssen replied with the best possible answer that would boost any actress' confidence:
You don't need any. You're perfect. You're great.
We'll be seeing if Alexandra Shipp was successful in playing Storm in X-Men: Apocalypse this Friday, May 27.
Read: Sophie Turner Talks About Playing Young Jean Grey, Comparison Over Game of Thrones and X-Men Fans
Read: Nightcrawler Deleted Scene Revealed in X-Men: Apocalypse Commercial
Read: New X-Men: Apocalypse Photos and Covers Show a Closer Look at Mutants, Tease Intense Moments
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Fandoms