Why Patrick Stewart Found Doctor Strange 2 'Frustrating' & 'Disappointing'
Even if some people are getting tired of Marvel movies, the brand remains at the vanguard of blockbuster filmmaking. This, of course, means that Marvel can and will incorporate cutting-edge technology to bring its characters and stories to life. One positive result of Marvel's commitment to innovation is, say, convincing audience members to feel as much empathy for the CGI members of the Guardians of the Galaxy as its human contingent. On the other side of that coin, however, one scene Patrick Stewart filmed for "Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness" relied so much on technology he walked away disappointed by his time on-set.
Stewart addressed his "Doctor Strange 2" role during a career-spanning interview with Josh Horowitz on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast. Nearing the end of their conversation, while discussing whether or not he might reprise Professor X opposite Hugh Jackman's Wolverine in "Deadpool 3," Stewart touched on outside factors like labor disputes and the COVID-19 pandemic complicating the film industry. Then, Horowitz mentioned the actor's turn as Charles Xavier in "Doctor Strange 2." Other cast members had told Horowitz that they filmed their parts in isolation for the cameo-centric scene in which the Illuminati appears. Horowitz asked if this was Stewart's experience.
"I was alone," Stewart replied. "I think that the big scene, each one of the leading actors had the same experience. They were shot on their own. It was frustrating and disappointing."
Patrick Stewart wasn't the only actor who found working on Doctor Strange 2 difficult
To be fair to the conditions on the "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" set, Patrick Stewart's disappointment wasn't necessarily the result of a creative decision. The choice to separate the actors making cameos was perhaps partially a COVID safety measure or a means to work around each performer's schedule. Nevertheless, Stewart found the situation challenging.
Anson Mount, who reprises his "Inhumans" role of Black Bolt in "Doctor Strange 2," shared a similar account in an interview with Esquire. He suggested the filming conditions were meant to leave room for edits and reshoots. "That was a very interesting shoot because my role came up in the reshoots. As you can imagine, several of the actors were quite busy. Patrick [Stewart] was not there ... We had actors playing those roles, knowing that they were going to either be substituting their shots or transplanting faces. I've never done anything quite like that, and I was in disbelief of how well it cut together."
While Mount wasn't quite as critical of his "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" experience as Stewart, he seems to have found his role disorienting at the very least.