‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Star Alan Cumming Reveals Shocking Set Experiences from X2: X-Men United

Alan Cumming is once again sharing his thoughts on his time filming ‘X2: X-Men United’, expressing how challenging the experience was for him. He recalls that the working conditions were far from ideal and have left a lasting impression on him.

During an interview with PEOPLE at the TriBeCa Ball in New York City, Cumming discussed returning to the role of Nightcrawler after many years and how it ties him back to the original cast. He remarked, “There were things that happened on the [X2] set that were just shocking to me.” Reflecting on it now, he described the experience as “unacceptable.”

Cumming noted that while they did not all reunite on screen, he has maintained friendships with several co-stars from the film, including Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, Patrick Stewart, and James Marsden.

He also mentioned that the tough filming conditions forged a strong bond among the actors. He stated, “It’s one of those films where I think we all were so traumatized we were bonded in trauma, so we stayed in touch.”

Cumming has previously described filming ‘X2’ as “miserable” and “awful for a variety of reasons.” He pointed to lengthy makeup sessions and other difficult conditions on set as contributing factors.

In contrast, his recent return to the character for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ has been a much more positive experience. He expressed that coming back felt healing compared to his original time on the film.

He shared, “It was really lovely to go back to something all those years later that I never thought I was going to go back to.” He added, “I actually think, ‘Oh, I really enjoyed playing this character.’”

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