Christopher Abbott felt a bit humbled by his reveal as Professor X at D23 last month. The “Girls” and “East of Eden” star will take on the iconic role in Marvel’s upcoming “X-Men” reboot, which is set to release in May 2028.
Speaking to New York Magazine in a robe at the Russian and Turkish Baths in New York City, Abbott admitted that the event was “a bit of a dream and a nightmare” for him.
“I think I started walking out pretty enthusiastically, and then I kind of felt like a lot of people there didn’t know who I was, so then my energy shifted within the split second,” Abbott said. “I was a little bit more humble about it.”
Abbott was revealed as Professor X alongside Inde Navarrette as Rogue, Maya Boyd as Storm and his “Girls” co-star Adam Driver as the villainous Mr. Sinister. Previously announced cast members include Sadie Sink as Jean Grey, Kit Connor as Cyclops and Samara Weaving as Emma Frost.
“I almost did a fist pump when I walked out, and then I felt like the applause was muted,” Abbott continued. “So I was like, ‘I’m just going to walk out and nod.’ It feels almost like a video game, or a dream. Not like a good dream. It’s a bit of both — a bit of a dream and a nightmare.”
Marvel’s upcoming “X-Men” movie reboots the mutant team for the first time since the 2019 Fox film “Dark Phoenix.” That movie starred James McAvoy as Professor X, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Tye Sheridan as Cyclops, Alexandra Shipp as Storm, Evan Peters as Quicksilver and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Nightcrawler.
Before taking on his most commercial role yet as part of the MCU, Abbott can be seen in Netflix’s “East of Eden” miniseries alongside Florence Pugh and Mike Faist, which premieres Thursday.