Rebecca Romijn, who played the original Mystique in the X-Men movies, recently offered her thoughts on the same makeup procedure. Jennifer Lawrence is well known for her abhorrence of it.
When asked by Looper what aspect of filming the X-Men movies she found most memorable, she responded:
I suppose the cosmetics application was the cause. This was not a joke! To be ready at nine in the morning, I was called at twelve. It took nine hours to complete the makeup.
We did manage to cut it down to seven hours over the course of three movies, but it was still... It was significant. And quite soon after, I understood that was the task.
To take part in that cosmetics application, I got compensated.
She could have requested, as Jennifer Lawrence did, to not always wear makeup, but but was not just content to do so, she also wanted to be true to the character's pride in being a mutant.
It was also the most exquisite garment I had ever seen. Every time they were done and I would look in the mirror, I would simply admire it as a work of art.
Because of hindsight being 20/20, I don't recall how hard it was, but I now value it greatly because of everything that resulted from it. I'm happy with how I handled the situation.
When asked if she would be glad to resume the part of Mystique after having appeared as the character in the first three X-Men motion pictures and X-Men: First Class, Rebecca responded:
Sure. Yes, with cosmetics, I suppose. I couldn't do it without the makeup since, in my opinion, applying makeup is a crucial step in the character's development. The application of that makeup transforms you into a colder, sexier bitch than anything else. It's a fairly important aspect of the character, in my opinion. After going through that, I thought, "Okay, I'm angry. I'm now incredibly angry.
She continues to discuss the part to this day and shares images that showcase every detail.
