Line #17 Trivia/XMenFirstClass


1	* AbilityOverAppearance: Creator/JamesMcAvoy--who is well-known for his PrettyBoy looks and his thick, wavy brown hair--doesn't physically resemble Creator/PatrickStewart (and Professor X in the comics was blond before he went bald), but the "Band of Brothers" featurette on the Blu-Ray/DVD makes it clear that the filmmakers' first choice for the role was [=McAvoy=] because he's a very talented thespian.
2	-->'''Matthew Vaughn''': James was the first actor we cast. I've always been a fan of James, I think he's a tremendous actor.
3	-->'''Simon Kinberg''': When initially somebody said, "What about James [=McAvoy=] for Charles?", I said, "That is the greatest idea I've ever heard, he'll never do it. Why would he take on somebody else's role which he is only going to be compared to Patrick Stewart?"
4	-->'''Lauren Shuler Donner''': James [=McAvoy=], one of the world's best actors, he's just incredible.
5	* AshcanCopy: The film was born because Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox, which was the owner of the rights to the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'' at the time, didn't want to see the rights revert back to Marvel Comics, given that they now [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse produce their own films]] (and are owned by Creator/{{Disney}}), making big bucks doing it with megahits like ''Film/TheAvengers2012'', and was no longer licensing out their properties to competitors. Proving that [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Tropes are Not Bad]], the film was well-received by critics and moviegoers alike, though it's debatable how well it did at the box office.
6	* AwesomeDearBoy:
7	** Many of the actors were fans of the X-Men or superheroes in general -- Caleb Landry Jones (Banshee) had auditioned without knowing which character he was up for, and he was simply grateful that they sought someone like him ("I've got red hair and freckles, I'm not gonna be Batman, Robin or Spider-Man").
8	** Creator/HughJackman said he could not pass over his cameo as he was given a PrecisionFStrike.
9	** Creator/JenniferLawrence had never seen the previous movies, so watched them and became a fan. This made her sign on, along with the prospect of working with Creator/MatthewVaughn, Creator/JamesMcAvoy and Creator/MichaelFassbender.
10	* BTeamSequel: Creator/BryanSinger was the first choice for the director's chair, but he had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with ''Film/JackTheGiantSlayer''. Considering the success of the follow-up ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', it makes you wonder what his vision would've been like.
11	* BonusMaterial: Not many fans are aware that there are two rare featurettes which were only included on a very limited number of Blu-Rays: "Extraordinary Abilities" and "Magneto the Survivor."
12	* CaliforniaDoubling: Englefield House in Reading, UK serves as the exterior for the Xavier mansion. The small island near Cuba is actually Georgia's Jekyll Island with some palm trees.
13	* CastTheRunnerUp:
14	** Creator/LucasTill was told that his audition served for both Havok and Beast.
15	** Creator/EdiGathegi (Darwin) originally auditioned for Banshee.
16	* CreatorBacklash: Creator/EdiGathegi was [[https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/x-men-first-class-star-wants-another-shot-in-the-marvel-cinematic-universe-reboot/ less than satisfied]] with his role as Darwin in this film, as he pointed out that him dying rather early on in the film without ever coming back to life or adapting to his surroundings like in the comics makes his mutant abilities here seem like an InformedAttribute at best. With the X-Men rights reverting back to Marvel Studios however, Gathegi expressed interest in portraying the character again if he's asked.
17	* CreatorChosenCasting: Creator/JamesMcAvoy was Creator/MatthewVaughn's top choice to play Charles Xavier, while he remembered Creator/MichaelFassbender from an earlier audition he did.
18	* CreatorsFavorite: Creator/MatthewVaughn has made it ''very'' clear in interviews that Magneto is his favourite X-Men character, and he even dismissed Professor X as being sanctimonious and boring. As a consequence, Erik is the main protagonist in ''First Class'' despite the film being heavily advertised as containing two lead characters of equal importance. If Vaughn had remained as the director for the sequel, Magneto would once again be the central figure, but after Creator/BryanSinger replaced him, Singer then gave the spotlight to the younger Xavier because Charles is his favourite.
19	* DeletedScene: [[DeletedScene/XMenFilmSeries See here]].
20	* DyeingForYourArt:
21	** To prepare for the role, Creator/JamesMcAvoy had shaved his head... and then was told that Charles was to have a full head of hair. For the first month of shooting, he had to wear hair extensions.
22	** Creator/NicholasHoult underwent training in athletics, weight lifting and boxing to prepare, and also spent four hours in the make-up chair to become the Beast, which included a mask, contact lenses, a furry muscle suit and fake teeth.
23	** Creator/JenniferLawrence went on a diet, had to work out for two hours daily to keep in shape, and like Rebecca Romijn, endured an eight-hour make-up that even caused blisters on her body. (For the sequels, Lawrence wore a scaly bodysuit to reduce the prosthetics from full body to just the head.)
24	* ExecutiveMeddling: The film was given a hard release date for when it had to come out, hiring the writers just thirteen months beforehand, without a director attached. One of the film's writers, Zack Stentz [[https://mobile.twitter.com/MuseZack/status/1206429357461237761 noted]] the AbsurdlyShortProductionTime was [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools actually beneficial]] to the film, as it meant the studio did not have time to second-guess every creative decision.
25	* FakeAmerican: Creator/RoseByrne (Australian) as Moira [=MacTaggert=] (where the Scottish scientist of the comics is instead a CIA agent), and Creator/NicholasHoult (English) as Dr. Hank [=McCoy=].
26	* FakeBrit: Scotsman Creator/JamesMcAvoy as the Oxford-educated Dr. Charles Xavier, who in this movie is revealed to be half-English through his mother.
27	* FakeIrish: American Caleb Landry Jones plays the Irish Sean Cassidy, a.k.a. Banshee.
28	* FakeMixedRace: Armando Munoz, a.k.a. Darwin, is half-Mexican and half-African American. He is played by Edi Gathegi, who has no Latino ancestry of any sort.
29	* FakeNationality: German-Irish Creator/MichaelFassbender as Erik Lehnsherr (who according to the comics is either German or Polish, but definitely not Irish). Also, William "Bill" Milner (kid Erik's actor) is actually English.
30	* FakeRussian: British Creator/JasonFlemyng as the Russian Azazel. Serbo-Croatian Rade Šerbedžija as the Russian general. Polish Olek Krupa as the commander of the Russian fleet. Of course, it's entirely possible that the general and the commander are supposed to be those ethnicities, while still being Soviet.
31	* FollowTheLeader: This was the first film made after the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse really began to take off (''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'' was in pre-production beforehand), and it's closer to those films in tone and visual style than the other X-Men films.
32	* HeyItsThatPlace: The set for the Xavier mansion was used in a TV series called ''Series/{{Hex}}''.
33	* MissingTrailerScene:
34	** The movie doesn't include an inspirational line of dialogue from Charles who tells Erik that "A new species is being born. Help me guide it, shape it, lead it."
35	** There is no MeaningfulLook between the two of them as they walk towards Alex's prison cell.
36	** A close-up of Erik saying "Cheers" didn't make the final cut.
37	* NonSingingVoice: Banshee's screams are provided by Josh Ramsay, not his actor Caleb Landry Jones.
38	* PlayingAgainstType:
39	** Alex Gonzalez, who played Riptide, had only really played good guys in Spanish cinema. He loved the chance to play a villain.
40	** While it's not his only villain role, Creator/KevinBacon has rarely played an antagonist as calculated, repulsive or downright [[HateSink hateable]] as Shaw.
41	* ProductionPosse: Creator/MatthewVaughn brought his producer/writing partner Jane Goldman, costume designer Sammy Sheldon, and actor Creator/JasonFlemyng (who wanted to avoid make-up heavy roles after ''Film/{{Clash of the Titans\|2010}}'', but made an exception for Vaughn).
42	* PromotedFanboy: Creator/JamesMcAvoy and Creator/NicholasHoult were fond of ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' when they were younger, and Hoult was also a fan of the original trilogy in the ''Film/XMenFilmSeries''. When it comes to the comic books, Creator/LucasTill is the most knowledgeable among the cast members.
43	* ReferencedBy:
44	** In ''Film/TheManFromUNCLE2015'', which is also set in TheSixties, [[http://41.media.tumblr.com/0f6f37c9b9d9ac56d78c2784e558046e/tumblr_ntt3frLzXY1r00foho2_1280.jpg Illya Kuryakin's clothing and hairstyle are virtually identical to Erik Lehnsherr's.]]
45	** The [[http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/buffy/images/9/9e/Severin.jpg/revision/20130119224910 look of Severin]] from the Season 9 comics of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' was partially modeled on Charles Xavier.
46	** Creator/JamesMcAvoy parodies his own performance in XMFC when he realizes that he's [[spoiler:paralyzed from the waist down after he is seriously injured]] by his male co-star in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OlnmvXCG3g&feature=youtu.be&t=3m50s this comedy skit.]]
47	** In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS15E7YoureGettingOld You're Getting Old]]," the movie theater Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny go to is screening ''First Class''.
48	* RomanceOnTheSet:
49	** Creator/JenniferLawrence and Creator/NicholasHoult began dating after appearing in the film and later split... only to rekindle upon shooting the [[Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast sequel]].
50	** Also Creator/MichaelFassbender and Creator/ZoeKravitz.
51	* StarMakingRole: This film solidifies Creator/MichaelFassbender as an A-list actor after getting acclaim from ''Film/InglouriousBasterds''. This also applies, to a lesser extent, with Creator/JamesMcAvoy (whose career has had a much more gradual climb than most established actors), and Creator/JenniferLawrence to a certain degree; she already had an Oscar nomination for ''The Winter's Bone'', but this and ''Film/TheHungerGames'' really helped make her a household name.
52	* ThoseTwoActors: The CIA Agent who is the first to try and stop Shaw [[spoiler: when he invades the CIA compound]] is Tony Curran, better known for playing Vincent van Gogh in ''Series/DoctorWho'', or being in the ''Film/TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' movie, along with Jason "Azazel" Flemyng. Curran also played a knight in an episode of ''Series/{{Primeval}}'' when Flemyng was in it, making this at least the third thing they're been in together.
53	* ThrowItIn: Creator/HughJackman's original line in the script was just "Fuck off." He improvised by saying "Go fuck yourself" instead, and the reactions of [=McAvoy=] and Fassbender to the different line are genuine. Amusingly enough, it does seem like both Jackman and [=McAvoy=] had forgotten about the improvisation while they were filming ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' because Charles recalls Logan's rude reply as "Fuck off."
54	* TypeCasting: The young Charles Xavier is the ultimate example of this for Creator/JamesMcAvoy, who portrays a WideEyedIdealist for the umpteenth time, plus he's frequently associated with {{Period Piece}}s and [[BrainyBrunet intellectuals]]. This role is a triple whammy for the actor.
55	* UncreditedRole: Josh Schwartz and Jamie Moss were the first two writers involved with the project, yet the WGA arbitration chose not to list them for story [[BasedOnAGreatBigLie while providing one such credit for Sheldon Turner]], whose script for an unproduced ''X-Men Origins: Magneto'' was never even touched by Bryan Singer and his cohorts.
56	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
57	** Creator/JamieDornan, [[Series/RobinHood Jonas Armstrong]], [[Theatre/SpiderManTurnOffTheDark Matthew James Thomas]], Creator/PatrickJAdams and Creator/BoydHolbrook screen-tested for the part of [[ComicBook/ProfessorX Charles Xavier]] before Creator/JamesMcAvoy was cast. Holbrook would eventually go on to to portray [[BigBad Donald Pierce]] in ''Film/{{Logan}}''.
58	** Creator/AndrewGarfield, Creator/AaronTaylorJohnson, Creator/EddieRedmayne, Creator/FrankDillane and Creator/JackHuston auditioned for the role of [[ComicBook/{{Magneto}} Erik Lehnsherr]] before the casting of Creator/MichaelFassbender. Garfield would later go to play [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Peter Parker]] in ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries'', while Johnson would portray [[ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}} Pietro Maximoff]] and [[Characters/MarvelComicsKravenTheHunter Kraven the Hunter]] in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' and Film/SonysSpiderManUniverse.
59	** Creator/BenjaminWalker was initially chosen for [[ComicBook/{{Beast\|MarvelComics}} Hank [=McCoy=]]] before Creator/NicholasHoult was cast, but dropped out of the project in order to star in ''Theatre/BloodyBloodyAndrewJackson''.
60	*** Creator/JasonBehr, [[Series/GeneralHospital Tom Parker]] and Creator/TaylorLautner were also considered for Hank [=McCoy=] before the casting of Hoult.
61	** Creator/AliceEve was offered the part of ComicBook/EmmaFrost before the casting of Creator/JanuaryJones, but turned it down due to scheduling issues with ''Film/ShesOutOfMyLeague''. She would go on to play Mary Walker in ''{{Series/Iron Fist\|2017}}''.
62	*** Creator/AmberHeard, Creator/RosamundPike, Creator/AbbieCornish and [[Film/StTrinians2007 Sarah Harding]] read for the role of Emma Frost as well before the casting of Jones.
63	** Creator/BryanCranston and Creator/ColinFirth were approached for the part of Sebastian Shaw before Creator/KevinBacon was cast. Cranston turned down the offer due to scheduling conflicts with ''{{Film/Drive\|2011}}''.
64	** Creator/BryanSinger was originally approached to direct the film having previously directed ''Film/XMen1'' and ''Film/X2XMenUnited'', but turned it down due to his previous commitments to ''Film/JackTheGiantKiller''.
65	** This movie initially started out as a spin-off focusing almost exclusively on Magneto's backstory which was meant to be part of a planned ''X-Men Origins'' film series, but the idea was then discarded in favour of a prequel that also included Professor X as a major character (he only had a supporting role in the original ''Magneto'' script) along with his first class of mutants.
66	** Sunspot was originally going to appear as a member of the team, but got cut due to being too expensive to render onscreen. This would've offset some of the complaints about the MonochromeCasting after the fates of [[BlackDudeDiesFirst Darwin]] and [[FaceHeelTurn Angel]]. This idea ended up getting recycled for [[Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast the next X-Men movie]].
67	** The film was originally going to have a complex psychic action sequence between Charles Xavier and Emma Frost, which ended up getting cut due to worries that it would seem too similar to ''Film/{{Inception}}''.
68	** Azazel was originally going to look much more [[http://conceptartworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/X-Men_First_Class_Concept_Art_by_Jerad_Marantz_03a.jpg demonic]].
69	** Sebastian Shaw's role as the BigBad was originally going to be Mister Sinister with Creator/KevinBacon playing the character, which explains why some of Shaw's powers in the film are [[CompositeCharacter actually Sinister's]] in the source material.
70	* YouSoundFamiliar: In the Latin American Spanish dub, the young Erik Lehnsherr is voiced by José Arenas, the original voice of Wolverine in [[Film/XMen1 the first movie]]; and Charles Xavier is voiced by Creator/IrwinDaayan, who voiced Quill in ''Film/XMenTheLastStand''.

Context Trivia / XMenFirstClass