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Disgraced director and manufacturer Bryan Singer, who has faced allegations of sexual assault, nearly lost his entire cast during the production of X2, the 2003 sequel to the original 2000 film X-Men.
In a full new article in the Hollywood Reporter on the progression of the X-Men film series and the poisonous culture that Singer helped foster, he revealed that he would have performed a failed trick that resulted in Hugh Jackman covered in blood, causing the cast to rebel.
Allegations of Singer’s habit predate his paintings in X-Men, as he was accused of asking minors to film a nude shower scene for his 1998 film Apt Pupil. Despite this, he was greeted through studio executives, and one of them reported that Fox ignoring a 1997 lawsuit against him had led to his inexcusable habit on set.
“His disficient habit in the first film,” said an anonymous Singer executive. “We introduced him in the first film, so we can welcome you in the movie of the moment. And so on. And that created a monster.”
By the time X2 started filming, Singer’s habit would be more “erratic and destructive,” leading to a fight with him and manufacturer Tom DeSanto, which prevented production. Sources close to the stage said DeSanto had tried to avoid the shooting by learning that Singer was “incapacitated” after receiving a “stun.” DeSanto rightly feared that someone on set might be injured, but Singer ignored his concerns.
The entire main cast envisages filming the level with the exception of Ian McKellen. In the absence of a stunt coordinator on set, Singer continued the stunt that eventually let Jackman “bleed in front of the camera”.
As a result of the incident, the set was stopped through manufacturer Ralph Winter. Despite the considerations of the actors and the team, the leaders of 20th Century Fox would have sided with Singer and told DeSanto to leave the set. The entire cast except McKellen and Rebecca Romijn faced Singer in their trailer the next day and threatened to leave if DeSanto was no longer on set. Halle Berry was so mad at him that she said, “You can kiss my black ass.”
Despite all the allegations of him and his undocumented unrealized behavior, Singer returned to the X-Men franchise for Days of Future Past and Apocalypse.
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