Alan Cumming calls X-Men sequel X2 the 'gayest' film that he's ever made: 'It's an allegory about queerness'
Alan Cumming has declared that the 2003 X-Men movie X2 is 'the gayest film that I've ever done.'
The Scottish actor and television personality followed up by adding, 'And that's me saying that,' during the conversation to promote his reality competition series The Traitors.
'It's got a queer director, lots of queer actors in it,' he said while making his case to Entertainment Weekly. 'I love the fact that something so mainstream and so in the comic book world is so queer.'
He went on to explain, 'I think, in a way, those sorts of films really help people understand queerness, because you can address it in an artistic way, and everyone is less scared of the concept.'
'It's an allegory about queerness, about people having these great gifts and really great, powerful things that they have to hide to exist,' Cumming, 59, added. 'Queer people understand what that's all about.'
Alan Cumming, 59, declared the superhero film X2 (2003) 'the gayest film that I've ever done'
In the film Cumming plays Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, a bright blue mutant with the ability to teleport himself and others instantly from one location to another.
Bryan Singer directed the superhero film, which was a sequel to X-Men (2000), that was written by Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris and David Hayter who worked from a story by Singer, Hayter and Zak Penn.
Much of the star-studded cast from the first film returned to reprise their roles., which includes Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Bruce Davison and Anna Paquin.
Cumming was among the newcomers who was joined by Brian Cox, Aaron Stanford, and Kelly Hu.
X2 was released back April 24, 2003 in London, England and again on May 2 in the U.S., receiving positive reviews for its storyline, action sequences, and performances.
While the first X-Men (2000) film was a hit with moviegoers, grossing $296.3 million at the worldwide box office against a budget of $75 million, the sequel was an even bigger smash, in terms of moneymaking, earning $407. 7 million with a budget of between $110-125 million.
Cumming came out publicly about his sexuality, calling himself bisexual in 1998, when he was 33-years-old, after appearing in the films Romy And Michele's High School Reunion (1997) and Spice World (1997).
Cumming, who played Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, a bright blue mutant with the ability to teleport himself and others instantly from one location to another, in the X-Men sequel
'I think, in a way, those sorts of films really help people understand queerness, because you can address it in an artistic way, and everyone is less scared of the concept,' he said in making his case during an interview with Entertainment Weekly
'It's an allegory about queerness, about people having these great gifts and really great, powerful things that they have to hide to exist,' Cumming added. 'Queer people understand what that's all about'
“I decided to talk about my sexuality because there was so much speculation and there was no way to talk about it unless you made a big statement and came out,' he told People.
He continued, 'I had to find a publication that I felt would talk about my sexuality and the nuance of that in a way where I felt I could control the narrative and it wouldn't be sensationalized. One of the good things about social media — there are many negative things — is that you can actually get your message across. That didn't exist before.'
Cumming made his television debut in ITV Granada's Travelling Man (1984), and then went on to appear in several Scottish Television series before his breakthrough TV role was as Bernard Bottle in the Christmas 1991 BBC comedy Bernard and the Genie (1991).
His feature film debut came in Ian Sellar's Prague (1992), which earned him the Best Actor award at the Atlantic Film Festival and a Scottish BAFTA Best Actor nomination.
The actor has since gone on to star in such films as Circle of Friends (1995), GoldenEye (1995), Romy And Michele's High School Reunion, Spice World, Eyes Wide Shut (1989), The Anniversary Party (2001), Josie and the Pussycats, Spy Kids (2001), Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (2002), Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003), Garfield: The Movie (2004), The Tempest (2010), and Battle of the Sexes (2017), among others.
Cumming spoke out while promoting The Traitors
He also is best known to some fans for his television role in The Good Wife (2010-2016), Instinct (2018-2019) and Schmigadoon! (2021-2023).
The Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland native, who became a dual-national when he was sworn in as a citizen of the United States in November 2008, has been the host of the U.S. version of the reality series The Traitors (2023-present), which was renewed for a third season this past February.
He took to his Instagram page on Sunday to give thanks for the four Critics Choice Real TV Award wins .
'Wow!!! Thank you so much @ccrealtv for this deluge of awards this weekend. And thanks to all of you who voted for me for the Male Star of the Year award! I want to be referred to henceforth as MSOTY!'
