Michael Jackson did an “elaborate presentation” during his audition for the first X-Men movie, according to the film’s producers.
The King of Pop tried to secure the role of mutant leader Charles Xavier, and according to Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter, he was one of three contenders for the comic book adaptation.
Mariah Carey and basketball star Shaquille O’Neal also came to read a few lines for different roles in the 2000 blockbuster, but it was Billie Jean’s lead singer’s presentation that really impressed studio bosses.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, he played them his 1996 short film Ghosts, in which he played a “60-year-old white mayor.”
“I said to her, ‘You know Xavier is an older white man?’ Said Lauren Schuler Donner. And Michael said, ‘Oh yeah. You know, I can do my makeup. “”
She did, however, reveal that the megastar had “never been seriously considered” for the role, which was ultimately assigned to Patrick Stewart.
–
