Random Movie Trivia - X-Men

Here is the next edition in our weekly Random Movie Trivia post.  Enjoy:

X-Men

• The studio's first choice to play Wolverine was Russell Crowe, but he turned it down because he demanded a higher fee.  Their next two choices were more baffling, Keanu Reeves and Gary Sinise.  Also considered for the role were Aaron Eckhart, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Viggo Mortensen, and Edward Norton.  Dougray Scott was cast but couldn't do it because of a scheduling conflict with Mission Impossible 2.  In the end, they went with the unknown Hugh Jackman who nailed the part.  Of all of those actors, only Russell Crowe made any sense.
• Hugh Jackman was cast a month and a half into shooting and you can notice a difference in his physique throughout the movie because he didn't start working out until he showed up.
• In the comic book, Wolverine is only 5 foot 3 inches tall.  Hugh Jackman is 6'2, a full four inches taller than James Marsden who plays Cyclops.  In order to make Cyclops appear taller than Wolverine in the movie, Marsden had to wear lifts in any scene where the two actors were talking face-to-face.
• The special contact lenses that Rebecca Romijn had to wear for her Mystique costume only allowed her 10% of her normal vision and she could only wear them for about an hour at a time.  On top of that, her costume took nine hours to apply each day of filming.
• Surprisingly, neither Sir Patrick Stewart nor Sir Ian McKellen knew how to play chess for their chess game at the end of the movie.
• Angela Bassett, Janet Jackson, and Jada Pinkett Smith were all considered for the role of Storm.
• Hugh Jackman got his balls caught in a harness doing a stunt during the Statue of Liberty scene.
• Sarah Michelle Gellar and Christina Ricci were considered for the part of Rogue and Natalie Portman was offered the role, but turned it down.
• The mansion used for Professor Xavier's School was the same one used in Billy Madison.
• Edward Burns, D.B. Sweeney, Thomas Jane, and Vince Vaughn were all interested in the role of Cyclops.  Jim Caviezel was cast but had to drop out after a scheduling conflict with another movie.  And no, it wasn't Passion of the Christ.  Also, Vince Vaughn.  Really?
• This is the first movie based on a Marvel comic book that Stan Lee makes a cameo in.
• Terence Stamp (aka the original General Zod) and Christopher Lee (aka Saruman) were considered for the role of Magneto.  Shortly after getting cast, Ian McKellen was offered the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and the director (Bryan Singer) rearranged filming so that he could do both.
• To celebrate the last day of filming, Rebecca Romijn brought a bottle of tequila to the set.  Unfortunately, that was the day that they were filming the Wolverine/Mystique fight scene and she ended up vomited blue-colored tequila all over Hugh Jackman.
• Is it possible that a role was more perfectly suited for an actor like Patrick Stewart and Professor X? I don't think so.

"Yup, that beautiful mullet almost played Wolverine."