With the director being absent from the world premiere of the movie, the cast chose to praise him instead of commenting on his sexual abuse case.
- May 12, 2014
AceShowbiz -
Bryan Singer was noticeably missing from the "X-Men: Days of Future Past" premiere at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City on Saturday, May 10. That did not stop from his presence being felt through the cast and crew.
Patrick Stewart, who plays Professor X, made no mention of the director's sexual abuse scandals and praised his work instead. "Well, he is a visionary," Stewart said. "He is a serious filmmaker. He knows the craft inside out. He knows what he wants, although sometimes it could be a roundabout process to get there."
Stewart, who has worked with Singer since the 2000 "X-Men" movie, said he was in constant contact with him. "We are in touch all the time, through email mostly," the actor said, adding that the director was "great."
Shawn Ashmore, who plays Iceman, talked about Singer rejoining the franchise after parting ways in 2003. "There's a familiarity and trust for a lot of the actors, because he's worked with us before and he cast us," he said per Variety. "It was amazing to have him back."
Twentieth Century Fox's president Jim Gianopulos made no mention about the scandal or the absence either, thanking him in the introduction instead. It is yet clear whether Singer will return to direct "X-Men: Apocalypse" which is scheduled for 2016 release. "He's excited for the movie," producer Hutch Parker said. "Bryan has grown a lot as a filmmaker."
Outside the premiere, Ellen Page who plays Kitty Pryde in the film did address the sensitive issue. "I guess the truth will come out in the way that it does, but it's hard to hear about someone being in that situation, someone you like working with ...I do think that there's a systemic issue of people in places of power manipulating and abusing young people," she told THR.
"X-Men: Days of Future Past" opens in U.S. theaters May 23. The next red carpet premiere would be on Monday, May 12 in London, followed by dates in Moscow, Beijing, Singapore, Sao Paulo and Melbourne.
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