Even as everyone debates the pros and cons of the so-called "cure," Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen) find themselves at odds on yet another matter: how to deal with Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), who's been resurrected and is fast evolving into the dangerously powerful Dark Phoenix. Newcomers to the film series include Ben Foster, who plays Angel, and Kelsey Grammer, who appears as Hank McCoy/Beast.

Twentieth Century Fox will release The Last Stand on May 26, and Science Fiction Weekly was on hand at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City when most of the cast, including, Stewart, Foster, Halle Berry (Storm), Grammer and Hugh Jackman (Wolverine) sat down to meet the press. Ian McKellen checked in by telephone.

Halle Berry, you were very vocal about wanting Storm to be more developed in this story. How involved were you in actually making that happen?

Berry: Involved in the sense that I talked a lot with Brett. When Brett came onboard, he felt the same way that I did about the character, and he was very open to me, talking [with me] about what her point of view is and what it should be and how she felt about this or that and how involved should Storm really be. I had big issues with her being the teacher and doing more than just flying the plane. There had to be a woman under there that had a point of view, that had passion about something, that was angry about something, that was happy about something. She can't just be this sort of mechanical sort of character that she has been in the past. So Brett was open to letting me be a part of that.How did you feel about the change in directors?

Berry: Well, I think that everyone was a little shocked that it wouldn't be Bryan. I don't think that any of us thought there would be a franchise without him. We thought that there was no way that they would do [a third film] without him. So when we had to wrap our brains around, yes, in fact, he wasn't going to direct this one, a lot of confusion took over. It was a very confusing time, and some of us didn't know if we were coming back or not, for various reasons. But when Brett came on, I was personally very happy. I think that he is a great director, and I thought that he would bring a different energy to the project, and if this is in fact the last one I thought he would take it out with a bang, and I would want that for the franchise. He had big shoes to fill also. I mean, Bryan is an amazing director and did a great job with the series. So there was a lot of pressure and question as to whether he could do it. I haven't seen the movie, and I'm probably the only one who hasn't, but I think that he did a good job. I would venture to say that. Would you be interested in a Storm spinoff movie?

Berry: No. Probably not. No.

Kelsey Grammer, did you have approval of your shade of blue?

Grammer: As it turned out, I did, sure, because it was a work in progress until we decided on the blue. There were several shades at first. A very pasty blue was the first film test, and then we went very, very dark and then sort of mid-range, and then we went a little darker, and thought the first dark one was the right one.How freeing was it to be in the makeup?

Grammer: It was freeing to be given a great mask, because you have the luxury of not being saddled with—in my case—a TV persona which is perhaps a little limiting in terms of other people's imaginations when they see you. And then, it's just fun to play dress-up. It was always fun for me, and it still is, so it's a great thing. Physically, it's restrictive, but it was also ... it was something I borrowed from the physical restriction for the character, because he's intellectually very focused, so he's not a man who's prone to action. He is a man who chooses action very, very specifically, and that to me was a great compelling quality about the character, [that] made him ... unique.

Hugh Jackman, what do you think of Wolverine's sideburns? Is that a good look for you?

Jackman: No. Is it a good look for him? Yeah. But would I do that? No, it's not for me. The fans will be thrilled to see the fastball special in The Last Stand. How involved, physically, were you with that stunt and with Daniel Cudmore [who plays Colossus]?

Jackman: The actual throw was done by his double, because it was a potentially dangerous stunt. Daniel would have done it, but they wouldn't allow him to do it. It was hard to get it straight, and if I wasn't straight with it there were cameras and everything that I would hit.But aren't you on a cable?

Jackman: Yeah, but the cable is like 300 yards long. So you can go over, and I'm flying right past the camera, within five feet of the camera at like 50 miles an hour.Did you know enough about the comics to know you wanted to do the fastball special?

Jackman: We always talked about the fastball special and the danger of it, and so it was great that we could get it in. If you look at your recent and upcoming credits—from Van Helsing to this, and from The Fountain to The Prestige—you're suddenly a sci-fi/horror/fantasy guy. Is that a coincidence, or do you appreciate genre storytelling?

Jackman: Well, for me, I read a script, and this is the second time that someone has pointed out to me that I've done a lot of films with a sci-fi element, but I'm not an avid fan of sci-fi or not. For me, the best sci-fi—and I think why X-Men has worked—is that people can relate to it beyond all the extraordinary elements. So, as an actor, I just connect with the kind of heart of the character. Moviemaking on some level is always an element of fantasy, and even the most sort of Ibsen version of film is an illusion. So maybe it does appeal to me without me consciously knowing it.What update can you give on the status of a Wolverine spinoff?

Jackman: It's probably going to be a prequel to the movies that exist, and I've just seen, not just, but about three months ago I saw the second draft that David Benioff has done. You probably know David. He's a huge fan of the franchise and probably one of the hottest writers in town, and so the lucky thing that I have is him as a partner on this and for me playing Wolverine, that there are A-lists of the A-lists, and there are a number of them that are passionate and want to work on it. So I think, and they [the studio] think, that there is enough in this character to substantiate not just an appendage to the movie that exists, but an entity on its own. I don't want to make Wolverine be a kind of disguise for X-Men 4. I want to make it stylistically and character-wise as different as we can and show some new stuff. I play him, and I would say this, but I think that he is one of the most interesting characters, in terms of action heroes and comic-book heroes, around.

Patrick Stewart, what did you make of the opening scene of The Last Stand, where they did something to make you look younger?

Stewart: Did it work? Oh, you didn't even have a feeling of "These guys don't look quite the same"? They did a little bit, very, very little, with makeup. Brett felt that having brought on board these two amazing Englishmen who have written this program for aging as well as making faces younger [that he should utilize them]. So there were different elements to it, how we looked, and the makeup department did a little bit of that, and then knowing that we were going to be smoothed out somewhat. But then there's also the fact that—I can tell acutely—20 years ago I was physically a different sort of person. I was moving differently and all of that. So we were both, Ian and I, interested in what we could—hopefully as subtly as possible—suggest that we were 20 years younger. Ian and I, there's 18 months in our age difference. So it was a very interesting little acting exercise to work on those scenes. But I had not seen the final effect of the work that they'd done, the enhancement, and I thought it was quite successful. I wish I'd had Ian with me last night. I saw the film last night for the first time, and I wish we could have seen it side by side. It would have been amusing to compare. Maybe later on we'll freeze-frame and compare.It feels like you have more to do, in a certain sense, because even when you're not around, people are talking about you. Would you agree?

Stewart: Well, it felt that way to me, too, last night, watching it. There was more than I'd remembered actually shooting, but it was so spread out over such a long period of time, different sequences.

Ben Foster, how cool was it to wear Angel's wings?

Foster: It was really cool. You stand differently when you have wings on your back. They were not heavy. They were made of really light [material]. It's weird telling secrets, because when I watch I get really excited, and when I hear how they did it bums me out. "Oh, yeah, well, that's foam."How much did you get to talk with Michael Murphy about the father-son dynamic?

Foster: We talked about it. It was important for both of us going in that it wasn't son against father, father against son. In this particular circumstance, although a 16-foot wingspan is a beautiful thing to behold, it's considered to be a horrible disfigurement. They're in agreement about this, and they both want to make life easier. So, yeah, we discussed that as being a family trying to make a decision. How tough was the process of having the wings attached? The press notes describe it as "grueling."

Foster: It wasn't thrilling at four in the morning having strangers glue things to your back in the cold Vancouver air. But it wasn't grueling. It was unpleasant at first, and it was more unpleasant taking them off, because it's heavy glue and real wings taken off the skin. But once they're on you feel great. It's maybe a drag at four in the afternoon, [when] you haven't worked and you can't sit. Angels don't sit, apparently, so they just kind of pose and stand or sleep on couches face-down. So that's kind of a drag, but not grueling.

Ian McKellen, you happen to be co-starring in two of the summer's most hotly anticipated films, The Da Vinci Code and The Last Stand. What did you make of your Da Vinci Code director, Ron Howard?

McKellen: Everyone who worked on Da Vinci Code will tell you that Ron Howard is an almost ideal director in that what he promises you is what happens. When he says you're going to start working on a specific day, you do. When he says we're going to approach this in a particular way, that's what happens. Nothing is left to chance. I think his years in the business have taught him that the more efficient you are, the less you take advantage of people's good will and the more you explain to them exactly what you're up to, the better they will eventually be and the more relaxed everyone will be in getting on with fulfilling their particular part of the job. That's what I found. I can pick that movie out from every other movie I've ever made. It was the best organized, the best run. It was like riding in a Rolls Royce, fantastic. That Ron seems to have brought it off is an added delight, of course. Although Ron worries a great deal, he keeps his worries to himself, and it was nice to see him smile as much as he did on this shoot, because I think he realized it was all going well. He's a very modest man.How ready were you to put on the purple helmet again for The Last Stand?

McKellen: I'm not mad about the purple helmet. I can't hear too clearly in it, and it's in two parts to get it on, and it often falls apart. So it's not my favorite bit of gear. But I like the rest of his costume, his robes and his cloaks and his boots and everything else which looks so nice when he's flying. But, no, I could do without the helmet.What was your reaction to Bryan Singer leaving to do Superman? And what did Brett Ratner bring to the franchise?

McKellen: I'd worked with Bryan on three movies, so not to make a fourth wasn't a desperate disappointment to me. Anyway, I assumed he was going to give me a nice, juicy part in Superman Returns, but no, it didn't turn out to be that way. But we're still good friends. Brett couldn't be further from Bryan, really. Brett is a party animal. And that's a compliment, because I think a director who can't hold a decent party probably won't be a good director. They're very similar qualities. You have to be able to look after all your guests and make sure they've got the drink they need, and that if they're vegetarian, they're not given chicken. Do you know what I mean? You've got to really look after people and treat them all as individuals. People who can run good parties can often direct well, and Brett is of that sort. He's always full of energy. He's always enthusiastic, and he will not let go—and he's got this in common with Bryan Singer—until he's got what he wants. And when he's got what he wants you can all heave a sigh of relief because he really will have it. Then it will be a question of cutting it all together. So, no complaints.