Although the action in X-Men: Days of Future Past rockets across the globe, the film itself—which hits theaters May 23—was shot in relatively low-key Montreal. And that was just fine with the cast.
“When I was 20 years old, I was playing rugby for Canada and we did a tour through Montreal, but I didn’t really get to explore,” says Daniel Cudmore, the actor who plays the mutant Colossus. “To get to come back, especially to work on X-Men, was fantastic.”
Cudmore’s role required extensive computer-generated imagery, challenging him to use his imagination extensively in order to portray a character whose enemies would be added into his scenes after filming was complete.
“As far as CGI, they just layer those dots on me and then I’m free to do my performance the way I see fit,” he says. “It’s great, because they put the makeup on and it’s not anything I really have to worry about. Most of the time I’m fighting tennis balls instead of real characters, but once you get your imagination running it’s a lot of fun.”
Cudmore wearing his CGI dots on set
Something that required a bit less imagination was enjoying the environs of Old Montreal, where the cast lived.
“I love the European feel of Montreal,” says Cudmore. “I live in L.A., so this is like a European vacation without leaving North America. My days off were great because I could be out and about, enjoying Old Montreal. It was nice not to have to get in a cab or on the subway, I could just walk out my door and go.”
Equally charming for the actor was his role as a Russian-born strongman. “I like that he’s got the kick-ass power of being indestructible,” he says. “Who wouldn’t want that?”
The X-Men cast in costume
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