Welcome to the Shrine to Actors

  Tonight we have Part II of the Hugh Jackman, Wolverine X-men series. This time we have Wolverine’s introduction to Jean Grey (the lovely Famke Janssen), which no doubt doesn’t go exactly as she planned. It’s also impressive that after his attack on her–and his feeling that he was being attacked–it didn’t put a damper on the sexual tension between them later on. I guess even mutants have pheremones. Of course, Jean Grey of all people knows how unpredictable a mutant and their powers can be, so it follows that she could remain pragmatic about the whole thing.

Let’s face it, though, what the scene really boils down to is pretty doctor lady and sexy shirtless man. Enjoy!

We start out with Wolverine on the examining table, unconscious…
(*Click* pics for larger versions*)

Jean Grey examines her patient…

I love how sensual it is as she strokes her hand down his arm and over his hand–sure, she’s checking for wounds from his knives, but perhaps there’s a bit more to it?

Showing off her mental abilities…

Wolverine does not like getting jabbed with needles. I don’t blame him. Check out how terrified Grey is as lunges for her throat…

The wild Wolverine is dangerous even without using his claws…

He escapes into a mysterious network of hallways…

Watch the pecs bulge as he takes off the sensors…

He hears voices whispering from all directions…

Then spots something strange…

I love how he’s reflected over all three suits…

Darn it, he’s found the sweatshirts…

But at least he knows how to still show a little skin for the girls…

Hope you enjoyed more of the shirtless Wolverine. There’s actually plenty more where that came from. You’d think they knew what female viewers wanted or something…

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Hugh Jackman Wolverine and Famke Janssen Jean Grey screencaps, c2000 20th Century Fox.

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Exciting news for Sean Bean and horror fans alike. Sean’s set to play a mercenary knight in Black Death, a film set during England’s first outbreak of bubonic plague, and involving a young monk’s quest to defeat a necromancer. Rupert Friend plays the young monk who leads the mercenaries on the charge. I’m hoping it’s more on the order of Van Helsing rather than a big gore fest. Granted, necromancy is going to involve some gore…

The news that had me excited was that Lena Headey (The Sarah Conner Chronicles) dropped out of the film to be replaced by Sean Bean’s GoldenEye and Don’t Say a Word costar Famke Janssen. Nothing against the talented and lovely Lena Headey, but I do love Sean and Famke together.

Black Death has apparently gone through a lot of cast/crew/creative turmoil, so here’s hoping things don’t get shifted again.

For fun, we can relive two of the most memorable lines of GoldenEye. Famke Janssen plays Xenia, the sexually charged bad girl of the film who can crush men to death with the power of her inner thighs. The men don’t seem to mind. Sean Bean plays the scarred Alec, aka 006, James Bond’s friend until he chooses a different path.

First up is Famke purring with breathless delight as the train threatens to collide with a tank: “He’s going to derail us.” Alec seems more pissed than turned on, however…

Just check out the crazy evilness…

And then there’s Alec, crowing over his manhandling of hostage Natalya (Izabella Scorupco). “Lovely girl,” he says, brimming with sexual confidence and innuendo. “Tastes like…strawberries.”

Xenia adds in her commentary…

So yeah…these two are good at being deliciously naughty together. I would love to see them working together again. They seem to have a good work rapport–in the extras on the Don’t Say a Word DVD, Famke made a point of mentioning how generous Sean was as an actor. In scenes where they talk on the phone, ordinarily there’d just be a script person reading the lines out to Famke, but Sean actually stayed and did the scene with her to help motivate her better and inspire her performance. This is something that big name actors apparently don’t do on a regular basis, and she was really impressed and grateful.

**Find out more about the Rupert Friend, Sean Bean, Famke Janssen movie Black Death at Shock Till You Drop and IMDB , though info is pretty sketchy at this point.

**Sean Bean and Famke Janssen GoldenEye screencaps, c1995 Eon Productions, MGM/UA.