Alan Cumming made headlines backstage at the Creative Arts Emmys when he revealed his work on Avengers: Doomsday. The actor confirmed he had already wrapped filming his return as Nightcrawler, sharing that the role involved intense stunt training and a streamlined makeup process compared to his first appearance in X2.
Avengers: Doomsday’s Alan Cumming opens up on Nightcrawler’s return
Alan Cumming addressed his return as Nightcrawler in Avengers: Doomsday while backstage at the Creative Arts Emmys. He had just won the award for outstanding host for The Traitors. The actor confirmed that he had completed filming for the role, stating, “Well, I’ve already done it. I finished it.” Cumming last portrayed the character in X2 (2003).
Asked about his preparation, Cumming explained, “I did a lot of stunt work and training. That was amazing.” He added humorously, “The stunt people couldn’t believe that I could get up, let alone jump around and do this boxing and training.”
Despite not having played the character in over two decades, Cumming admitted he did not revisit the earlier film beforehand, saying, “I think that was what really helped, because this is super intense, and is loads of stuff at once.”
The actor also discussed the changes in the makeup process compared to his first time as the blue mutant. Speaking previously on Today With Jenna and Friends, he noted, “Actually, what’s great about it — it was four-and-a-half to five hours before, and now it’s 90 minutes.”
Backstage, he elaborated on how technology had advanced. “The thing about green screen, CGI and face replacement is that it’s very detailed work. So I did feel that I got a chance to really portray the character again properly.”
Cumming joins returning X-Men actors Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden and Rebecca Romijn. The ensemble also includes established MCU stars Robert Downey Jr., Danny Ramirez, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Tom Hiddleston, Winston Duke, and Letitia Wright.