X2 CHAT: ANNA PAQUIN (ROGUE)

QUESTION: How much of the character changed from the first X-Men movie?

PAQUIN: I think that the biggest change for Rogue from X-Men 1 to X-Men 2 is that in the first movie you see Rogue being very frightened by her powers and very withdrawn and very unsure of herself. Because she's been an outsider and has been treated very poorly by people who should have loved her, because of her abilities. Now that she's at Xavier's school, she's found where she fits in. So she's a lot more confident and experiencing more thing that other teenagers are experiencing, like a little bit of romance and just having a normal life … whatever normal is.

QUESTION: What was it like doing this movie compared to the first one?

PAQUIN: I had so much more fun on this movie. Because they decided to introduce a young cast, not just one young person, I have buddies in the movie, who actually became very good friends of mine in Shawn (Ashmore) and Aaron (Stanford) who play Iceman and Pyro, respectively. They were really great to hang out with.

I had really good time this time. It was Vancouver and it was the summertime and it was very pleasant. Everybody was more laid back this time because we all knew each other, and it was a better time this time.

QUESTION: Where do you see Rogue going in any subsequent films?

PAQUIN: If I had my way, I'd want her to have some like hand-to-hand combat, so they'll have to teach me karate or martial arts because I think it would be so much fun. Whenever you learn a skill for a movie, you get like the best person on the planet to come and give you one-on-one lessons in some thing that you've never done in your entire life. And I think it would be a really fun to have some more fighting, action, something a little more full-on and physical than what I got to do in the movie.

QUESTION: Rogue becomes very attracted to one of her fellow students, but she can't express that because…

PAQUIN: Because she isn't able to physical touch anyone ever. And what was a really fun thin in the movie was that for a large part of it circumstances are such that I don't have my gloves on. And I have very bare arms. And just physically remembering that I'm not allowed to even accidentally brush up against someone is a slightly odd thing in terms of acting.

QUESTION: Do you personally identify with Rogue in any way?

PAQUIN: Oh completely, on so many levels. Because basically the mutant metaphor, if you like, is for being an outsider and for being different from everyone else, or at least feeling you as if are. And I completely understand that because adolescence in itself is the biggest transition of your life. Because you're aware that you're changing and you're aware that people are going to be seeing you differently. I think that I've many times where I've felt that everyone is judging me and hating me, and most of the times, it's in your head.

I think that's a huge part of Rogue's thing is that she feels isolated. And I think everyone has felt that at some point.

QUESTION: Do you feel like you're a role model?

PAQUIN: You can't try to be a role model because then you have to feel like you have to be perfect 24/7 and God knows I'm not. If people look at you and see things that I'm doing and take some sort of satisfaction or see something in me that they appreciate or inspires them, that's flattering. I try to be the best person I can be for me, but I can't be responsible for other people.

QUESTION: What attracts you to a particular script or film?

PAQUIN: The best analogy I can come up with for that is that being attracted to a script is kind of like being attracted to a person in either a romantic or a friendship kind of way. There's either something about it that clicks with you and it feels like you understand that material or that person -- or you really don't. It's hard to explain in any other way. It's just that certain things appeal for certain reasons at certain times.

QUESTION: Did you realize from the first movie that this was going to be just a big phenomenon?

PAQUIN: With a movie like this, there is an expectation, at least from the studio perspective. It better be a hit because they put a lot of money into it - not that that's my problem. Obviously, when you're trying to appeal to a wide range of people and no one sees the movie, that does not really classify as a hit.

I think we had more confidence doing the second film that people maybe would respond to it because of the way they responded to the first film. But you can't really let that be a factor.

X-Men 2
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