Why X-Men Star Anna Paquin Wouldn't Want To Appear On Fox's The Gifted

Marvel Comics shows are popping up all over the small screen these days, and one new and enjoyable series is Fox's The Gifted, following a group of mutants in a world where the X-Men are mysteriously absent. The drama stars Stephen Moyer, whose wife Anna Paquin memorably portrayed Rogue in the X-Men film franchise, and some fans have wondered if the actress might appear on The Gifted at some point. CinemaBlend's Conner Schwerdtfeger recently spoke with Paquin about her upcoming Netflix series Alias Grace, and she explained why she's not necessarily interested in a Gifted cameo, either as Rogue or anyone else.

I feel like that would be distracting, honestly. I mean, look, who knows? But I feel like that's one of those things that probably takes people out of the story in a weird way. If I was the creative force behind it, I'm not sure I would want to splice True Blood married people with different X-Men families. I feel like that might be a little schticky.

It would certainly be hard for Anna Paquin to show up on The Gifted as Rogue, since there are always complications involved with bringing movie characters to TV. Not to mention all the timeline intricacies involved with Rogue's existence, what with her Days of Future Past work getting relegated to an extended cut on Blu-ray. So that kind of an appearance was already going to be a near-impossibility even if Paquin was extremely interested in making it happen.

Conversely, it would be far easier in a narrative sense to bring Anna Paquin into The Gifted universe as a completely new character, or at least one fully independent from her X-Men history. But as the actress put it, that kind of cameo might take viewers out of the show's reality for a bit, since Paquin is as recognizable to TV and film audiences as anyone else on The Gifted. Not that big stars are forbidden from showing up or anything, but it could easily come across as a goofy moment to stick Paquin and Moyer together for the sake of it.

Not that Anna Paquin couldn't just share a scene with any of the characters that aren't played by Stephen Moyer. She could have a fine time flipping to the more villainous side of things by temporarily teaming up with Garrett Dillahunt's researcher Roderick Campbell. But it's probably not happening, so I guess we'll just have to get used to that.

We can get used to seeing Anna Paquin in Netflix's upcoming drama Alias Grace, based on the novel from Margaret Atwood, who notably wrote The Handmaid's Tale, which has been quite the successful series for Hulu, both with fans and with the Emmys. Alias Grace will make its streaming debut on Friday, November 3, so be sure to check that out whenever you're not in the mood for comic book action.

The Gifted airs Monday nights on Fox at 9:00 p.m. ET. Check out the advice that Anna Paquin gave Stephen Moyer about the show, and then catch up on all the other new and returning shows hitting the small screen soon with our fall TV premiere schedule.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.