Where do we find Raven in the new movie? What’s her state of mind?
JENNIFER LAWRENCE: She’s on her own. She’s going around the world saving mutants who are in danger. It’s 10 years after the end of Days Of Future Past, and the world is outwardly more tolerant of mutants, but Raven knows there’s still fear and prejudice out there, so she’s kind of a one-person army protecting her kind.
Raven always has a good character journey in her X-Men films. What did you need to figure out to play this one?
This movie is really about Raven becoming a leader. She was treated as a hero after what transpired at the end of Days Of Future Past, but she didn’t want that mantle. She went underground. And in this movie, she accepts the leadership position, steps into the role that Charles usually occupies, and leads the young X-Men into the final battle.
You’ve made the Raven character your own. How much input do you get into character moments these days?
These movies are very collaborative. There’s a really open line of communication with Bryan Singer and Simon Kinberg, and they like working closely with the actors, so we try a lot of different things on set and talk about the big moments. I know I can go to Simon with any idea, and he’ll consider it, and fully play it out.
Apocalypse promises to have the biggest scale of the films to date. What was the biggest challenge?
It definitely has the biggest scale of any X-Men film. The biggest challenge was probably for Oscar (Isaac) in terms of getting in that costume every day.
And does it still feel big to the cast, even when you’re shooting small chunks at a time?
A lot of it is done on green screen, but we did shoot a long stretch in the rubble where the final battle takes place. That felt like shooting on a real battleground covered in debris and destruction.
You and your co-stars always seem to have a lot of fun when they’re all on set. What can you tell us about the downtime from this one?
We’re all very close at this point. For me, Michael, James, and Nick, it’s our third movie over five or six years, so we’re all so comfortable with each other. On the last film, there were BB gun battles, but on this one, it was slightly tamer.
You can’t go into spoilers, but what was the most intense action moment or stunt you got to do on the new film?
One of the most intense was the final confrontation with Apocalypse. He gets ahold of Mystique and he’s strangling her, holding her off the ground.
Any bumps or bruises this time? And is the makeup any easier?
There are always a few bumps and bruises. The makeup was faster this time. They’ve been perfecting the process since the first film making it faster and more painless each time. And the script had more Raven than Mystique, so the number of blue days
weren’t as bad.
The previous film gave you lots of ‘70s clothes to wear. How was it switching to the 1980s this time?
It was cool! I start in a very “Berlin” music-video style pop outfit, then I quickly transition to a more Joan Jett rebel look, which is what I wear for most of the film until we suit up for the end.
You talked on Days Of Future Past about your excitement to be working with Peter Dinklage thanks to your love for Game Of Thrones. Did you geek out over Sophie Turner joining the team?
Yes! She’s so great on that show, and I was excited to work with another actress.
How was it working a second time with Bryan Singer as director? Do you have a rapport now?
I definitely know what to expect from Bryan and love working with him. We have an easy rapport and he keeps the set lively and fun.
Is there something you’re excited for people to see this time around?
I’m really excited for people to see a fuller realization of the X-Men — Charles, Hank, Peter, but also Jean and Scott. This movie is like the origin of the first official X-Men, and that’s an epic story to tell on film.
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