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Mauler and Rush Interview with Shawn Ashmore

M/R means that either Mauler or Rush is speaking. I don't know who's who. SA is, of course, Shawn Ashmore. Anything in [brackets] means I couldn't make out what exactly was said and I'm guessing.

M/R:...a hundred million dollars at the boxoffice --

M/R: No surprise.

M/R:...in two weeks. X2: X-Men United.

Audio clip from the movie where Bobby reveals to his parents that he's a mutant.

M/R: Yeah, we like that movie.

M/R: You should see what Bobby can do.

M/R: And actually, that scene contains our guest right now on the phonelines, Shawn Ashmore.

M/R: Yeah, he joins us on the Mauler and Rush show. How's it going?

SA: Good, how you doing?

M/R: Excellent Shawn, welcome to the program.

SA: Great, it's good to be here.

M/R: Alright, so how's it feel like to be in a blockbuster?

SA: [Dude (or he could've said 'good')] it's amazing. It's been, uh, it's been quite a ride. It started filming, I guess, about a year ago, so it's basically, you know, it's come full circle -- the movie [finally happens], you know it's exciting that people seem to like it, so it's very cool.

M/R: Now that's not really a surprise that people like it, you know a lot of people, I'm sure, you go in, you go to the set, you start filming the movie, you've always wonder 'Is it going to work out? Is it not going to work out?' There's no, really no, question when you started filming this movie, X2 is going to be a huge success, eh?

SA: Well, you'd like to think so. I mean, you know, we definitely knew that there was an audience out there, but there's almost more pressure in that case because you feel like you could screw this up, you know what I mean? I mean, it's like it's almost a sure thing because we know that people liked the first one and we know that there's going to be an audience out there, but you just... the bar sort of is raised, so have to like sort of, you know, go that much farther, but yeah, we felt really good while we were making it that people were going to like it.

M/R: You did a lot of filming in Canada.

SA: Yeah. I mean the majority of the five months that we spent filming was either in Vancouver, at the very end up in [an area of whose name I failed to catch] and in Alberta, so..

M/R: And you're a Canadian boy yourself...

SA: I was born in Richmond, BC and raised in Toronto so, uh yeah, absolutely.

M/R: Now some of your co-stars, uh, I mean we can talk about the Ian McKellens and the Hugh Jackmans, whatever, let's talk about some of the hotties you worked with.

Shawn laughs

M/R: What about Rebecca Romijn-Stamos? She was actually naked, was she not?

SA: Umm.. pretty much close to, as close to as you can get. I mean, essentially she was wearing a really, really, really, really, really small bikini and then painted blue.

M/R: That must have been awful for you.

SA: You know, just, it's so distracting when you're trying to work.

M/R: Was her husband hanging out on the set, you know, making sure guys weren't staring?

SA: No, no. He, actually, he came by a couple times but no, I think he knows that everything's okay and, you know, it's all work. But it's definitely a good working environment having you know, Halle Berry and Rebecca and Famke and Anna around. It wasn't too hard.

M/R: I guess not, and your co-star, I guess, a little kissing scene with Anna Paquin.

SA: Yeah.

M/R: Was that okay?

SA: That was great!

M/R: Was that your first Oscar-winning kiss?

SA: Yeah. Absolutely is. My very first Oscar-winning kiss, so it uh.. you know, it uh, it was fun. [It's how...] those scenes are always sort of weird especially because it was an effects scene as well so it takes, you know, there's like lighting and set ups so it's uh.. and you know, plus there's like, you know, thirty burly, ripped lighting guys like staring at you all day. So.. [mumbles something that I can't catch.]

M/R: See, that's awesome.

SA: It's just... you know, it's just not as romantic as you'd like it, or you know, you'd like to think it is, but um... but it's fun anyways, you know.

M/R: Now, now you're a young guy Shawn. How old are you?

SA: 23.

M/R: 23. You've already signed on for the next one. Does that scare you, that you'll be locked into another movie even as successful as it will be, to know that you sort of have to do this next movie?

SA: Um, I think that it's always sort of a concern when you... when you sort of get involved with a big project like this, but what.. at the end of the day, if uh, if Bryan's back and the rest of the cast is back, which the majority I think will be, umm... I think it's going to be great, and it won't be for a couple of years so I'll have a chance to do other things like hang out. It'll sort of be like a reunion if the third happens.

M/R: Now, were you a fan of the X-Men? Like were you a comic book kid when you were growing up?

SA: Yeah. No, I uh, I actually still have a comic book collection somewhere in my parent's house, uh, my parent's old house.

M/R: Okay, so you are somewhat of an expert, so you might know this. This is a question, that uh, that [just] bothered Mauler and I for a while.

SA: Okay.

M/R: Wolverine, his hair. Why is his hair like that?

SA: Umm...

M/R: I mean, well, does he style his hair to make it look like he has ears?

SA: I have no idea. I think, you know, if you look at a wolverine in real life, it sort of has like, that ridge of hair down the back, so I guess they just wanted that. I don't know, you know..

M/R: But, he's not a Wolverine though.

SA: [I know]. I know, [it's] just, I guess he's got that, feral, you know, animal thing going on. I'm not sure. I gotta be honest, any human would have to spend like a couple of hours [in the mirror]...

M/R: Exactly!

SA: ...gelling their hair looking like that -- so uh, maybe there's something about Wolverine we don't know, [says something I couldn't catch over the chuckles], he's really into hair products.

M/R: I like that the Iceman has normal hair.

SA: Yeah, yeah, exactly.

M/R: Uh, can we, can we call you 'Icey'? Do you get a lot of Icey?

SA: I.. I get a lot of umm... more like the really bad puns. [In a lot...] we did like a press junket and it was like every other interviewer would ask me "What music do you 'chill' do to?" And I was just like...

M/R: What?

SA: ...I was just like, "I can't believe you just said that", it was just weird stuff like that sometimes. Kind of funny.

M/R: Well, we're going to let you go, and we're going to let you know that you're one of the uh, 'coolest' guys ever.

M/R: Oh...

SA: (Laughing) Thank you. Thank you. See? That puts a smile on my face in the morning. I like that.

© 101.1 XFM / Transcript by Pam