Taylor Kitsch on Being Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Fox is stuffing X-Men Origins: Wolverine with guest appearances by other mutant heroes and villains from the X-Men comics, and one of those special appearances will be Taylor Hitch (Friday Night Lights) as the Cajun card-slinging mutant known as Gambit. Media Blvd. got the chance to talk to Hitch, and during that interview they got a few questions in about X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Hitch revealed that while he knew of the character, he wasn't familiar with the huge following Gambit had. "I knew of him," Hitch said "But I didn't know the following he had, and I'm sure I'm still going to be exposed to that. I love the character, I love the powers, and I love what they did with him. I didn't know that much, but in my experience, it was a blessing to go in and create my take on him. I'm excited for it, to say the least."

Hitch also revealed that he was honored to get the chance to work with the star of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Hugh Jackman. "I'd say Hugh Jackman is a huge influence on my life, as a person and as an actor, and it was an amazing experience," Hitch revealed. When asked how Jackman was an influence, he continued "To be honest, it's an aura that, in this business, I've never come across. He's incredibly disciplined and free. There's just something about him. You walk away and he hits you. He's just this person that's so grounded and so open that you question whether it's real or not. I've met nobody like him. The way he welcomed me on set, it was just a huge influence."

You can find out more about Hitch's role as Gambit when X-Men Origins: Wolverine claws into theatres May 1, 2009. X-Men Origins: Wolverine explores Wolverine's early days, before joining the X-Men. The film will cover Logan's early life, and his involvement with the mysterious Weapon X program. Directed by Gavin Hood, the film stars Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Dominic Monaghan, Danny Huston, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch, will.i.am, Daniel Henney, Scott Adkins and Lynn Collins.