(CBR) Daniel Cudmore is a virtual tank of a mutant in the blockbuster sequel “X-Men: Days of Future Past.”
His character, Piotr Rasputin, lived up to his codename of Colossus as the then-neophyte hero's organic steel form and super strength proved invaluable against Stryker's assault team in “X-Men 2: X-Men United.”
Colossus graduated to full-fledged X-Man in “X-Men: The Last Stand,” where he clashed with Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Now, Colossus and his fellow X-Men have returned to movie theaters worldwide, hoping to somehow prevail against a threat designed specifically to eradicate them as they face off against the Sentinels in the latest epic in Fox's X-Men film series.
With the movie dominating the box office, in the United States and abroad, CBR News spoke with Cudmore about the X-Men's dire situation, the evolution of his on-screen character and how he went about preparing once more for battle.
Daniel Cudmore: It's always a nice surprise when you get the call to work on any movie, let alone X-Men. I was thrilled to get the call.
It was great; a bit like a family reunion, of sorts. He has such an amazing handle on the X-Men universe, and it shows in “Days of Future Past.”
Did you have any conversations with Bryan about your character and the story?
I just wanted to see whether Colossus has any resentment towards Xavier, whether he felt like they have been on their own without his help. That's about it.
What was your initial reaction when you read the script?
Awesome! Simon [Kinberg] did such an amazing job with the script and Bryan put it to film so well!
Colossus officially joined the X-Men in “Last Stand.” How has he changed since we last saw him?
In “Days of Future Past” we see how battle and death has hardened him, and how fighting for the survival of the mutant race has changed him from a pacifist to an aggressor.
We saw Colossus and Wolverine's “fastball” special in “X-Men: The Last Stand” — what special maneuvers does your character use against the Sentinels in “Days of Future Past?”
He knows how hard they are to kill, so it's really just trying to use brute strength to break them down as fast as possible.
The X-Men's outfits have been modified and individualized for this film. How would you describe Colossus' new uniform?
It's very military/special ops. It's what he needs in the future he's fighting to stay alive in.
How comfortable and functional was it compared to the previous leather one?
It was a bit more functional, but still had elements that really trapped body heat in. [It was] a bit like wearing a wetsuit.
Colossus is known for speaking Russian, having a romantic relationship with Kitty and sporting a bright, colorful costume. Before you found out any details, which iconic elements were you hoping they would, or wouldn't, incorporate?
I knew that the Kitty/Iceman relationship was set up, so I was hoping for maybe a few scenes where I could bust out some Russian.
Have you considered or talked with the other cast members about what the next X-Men film might mean for your characters?
I never had a chance to bring it up, but I would love to see Colossus expand. I feel that character is very underutilized and would like to see a bit of his dark side, maybe some storylines involving his family.
Finally, what's next for you?
I just finished five months on “Warcraft,” the feature up in Vancouver. Now it's back home and reading scripts and trying to get some films made in my production company, so who knows. But I'm definitely excited for whatever is next!