Alan Cumming Reflects on 20-Year Bond with ‘X2’ Cast Born from Trauma

Alan Cumming is reminiscing about his time on X2 and how that experience continues to connect him with his former castmates today.

In an interview with PEOPLE at the TriBeCa Ball in New York City, the actor discussed returning to his role as Nightcrawler and reconnecting with the X-Men cast after more than two decades. While a full reunion didn’t occur during filming, he noted that many of those relationships have endured.

“The ones that I did reunite with, I’ve seen them since,” he shared in the interview with PEOPLE. Cumming explained that he has maintained close ties with several co-stars over the years, including Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, Patrick Stewart, and James Marsden.

Cumming attributes the strong bond among the cast to the challenging experience they shared while making the film. He candidly described the difficulties they faced during production.

“It’s one of those films where I think we all were so traumatized we were bonded in trauma, so we stayed in touch,” he remarked.

He has spoken previously about the challenges of filming X2. In earlier comments to PEOPLE, he described the experience as “miserable” and noted it was “awful for a variety of reasons.” This included the lengthy makeup sessions, which could take up to five hours a day, along with other on-set difficulties.

Now, as he prepares for the release of Avengers: Doomsday in December 2026, Cumming feels a significant shift. He mentioned that returning to the character has been a much more positive experience this time.

“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 told PEOPLE. “I actually think, ‘Oh, I really enjoyed playing this character.’”

He described the new project as a form of healing, especially in contrast to his feelings during the original film.

“In a sort of ooey, gooey way, it was really healing and really nice to go back to something that it was a terrible experience when I did it the first time,” he explained.

The upcoming film will feature a mix of Marvel stars, including Anthony Mackie, Paul Rudd, Tom Hiddleston, and Simu Liu, alongside several returning X-Men actors.

For Cumming, this return is not solely about the character; it’s also about reconnecting with people he has known for years, even if their shared history stems from a challenging place.

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