Here's Michael's answers to our X-Pert questions:
How did you find your "dark side" in playing this role? There's a dark side in everybody. You just have to dig deep and get involved in it. Any time you get a role, you realize three main characteristics of that person, and then you just have to inflate them in yourself if they're not there or just use them if they are already there.
Does the fact that the character you play has a very established future already as a super villain help or hinder the way you portrayed him? Neither, really. I got all my source material from the comic books.
What was the hardest part of playing Magneto? Trying to bend metal when obviously I can't do that.
After playing Magneto, do you feel some type of connection with the character? I absolutely feel a connection. I think the interesting thing about Magneto is he does magnify the human race's failure in trying to co-exist and then magnifies the destructiveness. Even though his methods are extreme, his arguments actually are true and make sense.
What did you feel when you put on the helmet for the first time? You feel a little bit silly, but then you just have to sort of throw yourself in there and really have fun and own it.
Does your character wear the helmet a lot in this movie? No. This is the transitional period. He is still learning how to use his power just like everyone else. By the end of the movie he is definitely using it though.
What do you believe was the most entertaining part in playing Magneto? What's very encouraging as an actor trying to approach this part, is that there's so much material there in the comic books that you can very easily form a character and know exactly where he's coming from. In that respect you can just get on with it and enjoy being the person.
Are we going to see Erik/Magneto as a possible team leader like Cyclops or more of an outcast trying to fit in? I think all of the mutants are outcasts trying to fit in, but within his own peers, I think he's a definite leader. There's no doubt about that. I think any megalomaniac that manages to get an army behind him the way he does has to be a good leader. I think he's charismatic, I think he's intelligent and I think he's very forceful. That's a pretty influential combination.
Will Erik have a love interest? Not really. I think there are signs of seeds to be sown later, but I think when we meet Erik in this film, his life is more about revenge than anything else. In this film, he's a lone wolf and he's on a very specific mission and he's Machiavellian in his approach to whatever ends justify the means.
Click the source to see James's answers.
X-Men: First Class reaches theaters June 3rd!