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ELLEgirl

Ellegirl Chats With… Shawn Ashmore
Meet our new favorite superhero. Not only does he kick butt in X2 – he does it without having to slip into cheesy tights!
- Maria Neuman

Ellegirl: What's your superpower in X2?

Shawn Ashmore: I can manipulate water molecules – basically, I can freeze anything. My character is Iceman, also known as Bobby Drake. Most of my scenes revolve around Anna Paquin's character, Rogue – we basically date in the film. She's so awesome and fun to work with.

EG: Did you want to be a superhero when you were a little kid?

SA: All boys want to be superheroes when they're younger. My favorite was always Wolverine, because he's a badass – he has an edge.

EG: Your twin brother Aaron is also an actor. Do you guys ever compete for the same roles?

SA: Twins are always compared by everyone, so this was just another thing to add to that. I think my brother was a little jealous when I got X2, but I've been jealous of some of his roles in the past. Even though there may be some jealousy, there's never resentment, which I think is important.

EG: Do you guys do any of those weird twin things – like speak your own secret language?

SA: Well, we finish each other's sentences, but I think if you spent 23 years with one person, you're going to know exactly what they're going to say. I'd love to say that he was once on the other side of the world and dropped something and I felt it, but that's never happened.

EG: So you two aren't going to become the male Mary-Kate and Ashley anytime soon?

SA: [Laughs] No, we've never done any of those goofy things like switching on set or stuff like that.

EG: What were you like in high school?

SA: I played guitar in this punk band called Preoccupied. My brother was in it too, and we weren't really into sounding good – just loud. I never thought of making it a career, but we did play around Toronto at house parties and stuff. I still play guitar, but I wasn't willing to put that much effort into it, and the lifestyle seems too hectic.

EG: What's with all these cool actors coming out of Canada?

SA: I'm not sure, but I think it's just easier to work your way up in Canada and take more chances. Let's just say we're invading.