On a thoughtful action movie:
Stewart: Essentially, X-Men deals with burning issues of tolerance, understanding and fear of outsiders. These things are echoed in every scene. That was Ian’s speech, by the way.
Alan Cumming (Nightcrawler): I think the X-Men originally came around the time of the Civil Rights movement in America. You don’t expect to get this level of complexity and depth in a big comic book movie or a superhero character like this.
Brian Cox (Stryker): The secret to the best children's fiction is the hidden story -- it’s cautionary. Look at Lewis Carroll, the Grimm Brothers. Stan Lee develops interesting ideas here and expands the whole notion of comic books. Wolverine is quite tortured really. He and Rogue have that in common. And it’s quite potent.
Famke Janssen (Jean Grey): I love darkness. I thought Bryan did a great job adding different elements -- humour, emotion, love.
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (Mystique): They did a really good job of giving everyone screen time and balancing between the kick-ass action and the real moments.
Shawn Ashmore (Iceman): In these films it’s important that you care about the characters and not that you’re just waiting for the next action sequence.
Cumming: The good thing about Bryan is that he’s very passionate about the characters. They’re all outcasts struggling with prejudice.
Ashmore: Not only does Iceman have to deal with a superpower but also with being a teen and an outcast.
Anna Paquin (Rogue): I think for Rogue her powers are more curse than blessing because she has to hurt someone else to use her powers. There’s a fear of getting emotionally intimate with someone, of hurting them or yourself. It just adds to all the hormonal issues of being a teen.
Cox: Being the outsider is such a common state -- we’ve all felt feelings of alienation, particularly growing up. As a human, my character is the outsider in the cast!

On playing comic book heroes:
Janssen: I don’t think any of us took it seriously on the set.
James Marsden (Cyclops): The funniest time is when we’re all in costume and there’s tension on the set or there’s an argument. You can’t take it seriously -- you feel ridiculous every day.
Janssen: In general acting is like that. You have to be childish.
McKellen: I worked out before the first film, but I wasn’t allowed to look like Magneto in the comics. He was rather alluring! But I should tell you that underneath Magneto’s outfit he’s clad entirely in lycra! I wanted Bryan to show him working out or getting dressed. Or maybe sleeping with Hugh, Alan, Brian. Then it would of course turn out to me Mystique! Can you imagine what it’s like to be a gay actor on this set with all these gorgeous men? And there’s all these beautiful nearly naked women and I don’t turn a hair.