With over a dozen A-listers all under one roof, the world premiere of X-Men: Days of Future Past at New York’s Javits Convention Center on Saturday night was perhaps the single greatest concentration of star power since the Academy Awards in March. Among those in attendance: Jennifer Lawrence, Hugh Jackman, Ellen Page, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, and Michael Fassbender.
But conspicuously absent from the gala was director Bryan Singer, who is currently facing two lawsuits alleging that he had raped underage boys.
Although the cast was presumably instructed to avoid talking about the allegations, which have brought the $250 million blockbuster a considerable amount of negative publicity, Bryan Singer’s name nevertheless did come up at several points during the red carpet interviews.
“Well, he is a visionary,” Patrick Stewart, who plays Professor X in the film, said of Singer. “He is a serious filmmaker. He knows the craft inside out. He knows what he wants, although sometimes it could be a roundabout process to get there.”
Asked if he’s been in touch with the director since the allegations became public, Stewart said, “We are in touch all the time, through email mostly.”; Steward then added that Singer is doing “great.”;
Shawn Ashmore, who plays Iceman, had similarly positive things to say about Singer. “There’s a familiarity and trust for a lot of the actors, because he’s worked with us before and he cast us,” Ashmore said. “It was amazing to have him back.”
Regarding a report that appeared on Gawker’s Defamer website that claimed that his twin brother Aaron had at one point lived in Singer’s Los Angeles home, Ashmore simply said, “No, no.”; Ashmore then went on to lament Singer’s absence. “We miss him [Singer], but he’s made a great film. The film speaks for itself.”
Screenwriter Simon Kinberg said that he was unsure whether or not Singer would be returning for X-Men: Apocalypse (“You have to ask Bryan,” he said), echoing a statement that James McAvoy had made a few days prior in an interview with Variety (“I don’t know really”).
In his speech prior to the screening, studio chief Jim Gianopulos singled out Singer for a special thank you, but declined to mention the scandal.
