DARK PHOENIX Star Jessica Chastain Didn't Know Her Character's Name Until She Saw The Movie

Dark Phoenix was a complete and utter disaster. The final X-Men film of the Fox era (not counting The New Mutants), extensive reshoots dialled down the cosmic side of things (to avoid Captain Marvel comparisons, apparently) and that led to first-time director Simon Kinberg delivering what many consider one of the most forgettable, generic Marvel movies ever made. 

Jessica Chastain played Dark Phoenix's lead villain, and while there had been speculation she might be playing Skrull Queen Veranke or Lilandra, the leader of the Shi'ar Empire, the truth was far less exciting. During the course of the movie, we learned that she was, in fact, playing Vuk, a member of the shape-shifting alien race better known as the D'Bari. 

During a recent interview, Chastain commented on the chaos behind the scenes of the movie, admitting that she didn't even learn her character's name until she actually sat down to watch it. 

"The reality is, our situations were very different," Chastain said of Oscar Isaac's comments about working with Bryan Singer on the set of X-Men: Apocalypse. "My situation...I think...studio was bought at a certain point. I didn't even know what my character's name was until I saw the film. 'What's happening?'"

Despite all of that, the actress still had good things to say about Kinberg (who she's continued to work with since making Dark Phoenix). "It was an interesting thing. But, Simon Kinberg, who directed it, is an incredible human being."

Vuk's mission involved trying to steal the Phoenix Force from Jean Grey, though multiple rewrites completely changed the movie to the point where it went from a two-part story involving the Hellfire Club and Skrulls to what ended up in theaters back in 2019. Now, Marvel Studios has regained the rights to the X-Men franchise, and the belief is that Kevin Feige is planning a complete reboot.