Entertainment

'X-Men: The Animated Series' Gambit star recalls auditioning for live-action 'X-Men'

The actor recalls what he was thinking during the 'X-Men' audition

Published September 08, 2026
X-Men: The Animated Series Gambit star recalls auditioning for live-action X-Men
'X-Men: The Animated Series' Gambit star recalls auditioning for live-action 'X-Men'

When director Bryan Singer was on the lookout for the cast of his first X-Men movie, Chris Potter became interested.

He was already no stranger to the mutant franchise.

The actor voiced Gambit in X-Men: The Animated Series.

However, the live-action movie didn't cast Gambit, but Potter auditioned anyway.

His character of choice was Cyclops, or Scott Summers.

But James Marsden ultimately landed the role, which he went on to play in four X-Men movies.

Here is the interesting part: Potter said he didn't really want to play Cyclops.

Recalling his thinking at the time, the actor told Collider, "I was filming, and the whole time I was doing the audition, I was thinking, I don't even want to play this guy. I'm Gambit."

"I want to play Gambit. He's not in the movie, but he'll be in the next movie because Gambit's great; he'll be in the next movie," he said.

Passed down in the first movie, Potter believed Gambit would surely be featured in the second one, given how popular he is.

"Well, all the movies went by, and now I can play Gambit's grandfather. But I'll never forget that."

However, that didn't happen either, said the actor.

"I thought, you know, to me it just seemed like a slam dunk that Gambit would be in the second movie."

"Why wouldn't he be in the first? So, it was odd to see all those years go by and him never being in live-action stuff," he noted.

Gambit, however, is finally making his return in Avengers: Doomsday, as Channing Tatum is set to portray him after recently playing him in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Hassan Sohail
Hassan is a reporter covering entertainment and sports, with 3 years of experience. He focuses on film, celebrity culture, and major sporting events, delivering engaging stories that capture both on-screen narratives and on-field action, while offering readers a dynamic blend of pop culture and sports coverage.