Grammer Talks X3

Source SciFi Wire:

NEW YORK—Kelsey Grammer, who plays Hank McCoy/Beast in the upcoming SF sequel X-Men: The Last Stand, told SCI FI Wire that he knew very little about the character or the X-Men comic books before signing on for the film. "I don't know much about X-Men except the films, actually," Grammer said in an interview here over the weekend. "I was a Thor guy when I was a kid. Thor ... I remember resonating, probably because I was a Norse god in my past. I must admit."

McCoy, an expert on human biology and mutations, is a large, powerful and well-spoken figure who also happens to be covered in blue fur. In the film, he serves the president of the United States (Josef Sommer) as the Secretary of Mutant Affairs, but reunites with the X-Men in the wake of the government's questionable actions following the development of a "cure" for mutancy.

"I did a little bit of research, checked out what the Beast had been, what his story was," Grammer said. "I asked a couple of fans, actually: the makeup guys who did the makeup. They knew more about the past incarnations of Beast, more than anybody else. They're complete fans. It's the perfect job for these guys. They started out doing this stuff. ... They were mixing prosthetic equipment when they were 5 or 6 years old. These guys were to the manner born."

Grammer smiled slyly, though, when asked how his research and discussions with the The Last Stand makeup team informed his performance. "Pretty much without any connection at all, but it was just nice to know," he said. "It's nice to know where you come from, but it has very little to do with where you are in the moment of this show." X-Men: The Last Stand opens May 26. —Ian Spelling