Tye Sheridan on Cyclops’ Character Arc in X-Men: Apocalypse

While promoting his new movie The Stanford Prison Experiment, Tye Sheridan chats with Indiewire about his involvement in the 2016 superhero movie and his role as the optic blasting mutant Cyclops.

He was asked about making the transition from indie films to the blockbuster X-Men franchise, responding, "I never even imagined that I would be in the position I am now, or even the industry I am in now doing films and acting. It still hasn't set in. I'm still waiting for reality to come crashing down on me. There's no franchise I'd rather be a part of and doing sort of as my first foray into larger budget stuff than "X-Men." When you go back and look at all the movies -- the history of X-Men is so rich and the characters are so rich and they have such depth, and there's such depth to the stories. I feel like most franchises and superhero films don't have that. I think that's why this franchise is not just special to me, but also just so special in general. I'm so lucky and grateful to be a part of it." The opposite is also true, that the franchise is fortunate to have Sheridan be a part of it, as the young rising star has received critical acclaim for his roles in the 2012’s Mud and 2013’s Joe.


                                               
When asked about how his portrayal of Cyclops compares to other characters he has played, Sheridan says, "It's quite similar actually. It's a nice progression with the roles I've played in the past. It's forced me to use everything I've learned playing all the characters I have. My character is angry and a bit lost, which I feel like is where I've met a lot of my characters -- in these sort of young life transitions where they're struggling to figure things out about themselves. He's now learning about being a mutant and trying to handle his superhero powers. The arc for the character is really cool for me -- it's not like I'm just stepping into it and I'm a superhero and it's cool and all that with the suit. You kind of see the progression of this character -- where he comes from, what he has to overcome and where he goes at the end of the film. It's a great arc." Sheridan's words are encouraging and reinforce the filmmakers' comments that Cyclops will be a significant character in this film, which has not been the case in his previous appearances in the franchise.
 
On the experience of working with his co-stars, Sheridan says, "You can't even begin to comprehend what working with this cast is like. I remember shooting for the first week, getting off for a week, and then coming back and they were shooting with Oscar Isaac and Michael Fassbender, and it hits me that I'm really going to be working with the greats. I came back from having a week off and it's my first scene to shoot with James McAvoy, and let me tell you something -- James McAvoy is my idol! We get along great, and I've told him how big of a fan I am, but just to even be working with him -- just to meet him and talk to him is amazing. But having a scene where I'm one on one with him -- my god, it's insane! We were shooting in the X Mansion and I walk on set and there's 300 people on set, everyone's walking, it's like being in the heart of New York City or something, there's a hustle and bustle. I walk in and I look down and I'm standing on the X of the X Mansion and that's when it really settled in like, 'S---, I'm in an X-Men movie!'" It sounds like Sheridan is having a blast! He is joined by several other new cast members, including his on-screen love interest Sophie Turner (Jean Grey), Alexandra Shipp (Storm), and Kodi Smit-McPhee, all of whom are set to take over as the main protagonists as the narrative focus shifts to these younger characters moving forward.

X-Men: Apocalypse hits theatres May 27, 2016!