Tom Pelphrey has revealed he was the runner-up to play Charlie Xavier/Professor X in the upcoming X-Men movie.
Early reports had linked Pelphrey (Iron Fist), Christopher Abbott (The Testament of Ann Lee) and Bill Skarsgård (It: Welcome to Derry) to the role, but Abbott ultimately emerged as the victor and was announced as part of the official cast last week during Disney’s D23 showcase.
“To start from the bottom and then work my way up, I can see everything with a perspective that just leaves me feeling grateful,” Pelphrey said.
He continued: “Now, when one door closes, another door immediately opens, and it’s really changed the way I feel about certain projects. So to have those [X-Men audition] experiences — and some of the other conversations and meetings I’ve had that haven’t been reported — it’s incredible.”
The actor went on to joke that at least audiences won’t have to see him bald.
“I’ve also got a fat head. I have a watermelon,” he said when discussing the possibility of shaving his head to play the role.
He continued: “I was like, ‘If we’re even going to have this conversation, go into your AI image generator and look at me with a shaved head. That alone could be horrifying enough.’ I’m not kidding. The only hat I can wear is a fitted size eight. It is empirically a big fat head, and I don’t know if we want to see it shaved.”
The untitled X-Men movie is scheduled to be released in cinemas on 5 May, 2028.
Alongside Abbott as Professor X, other cast members confirmed at the D23 Expo in California include Heartstopper's Kit Connor, who is set to play Cyclops, and Ready or Not's Samara Weaving, who will star as Emma Frost.
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Meanwhile, Obsession breakout star Inde Navarrette will take on the role of Rogue, while relative newcomer Maya Bond will play Storm.
Adam Driver has also been announced as part of the cast, with the actor set to play Nathaniel Milbury – also known as the villain Mr Sinister.
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