Famke Janssen Says Marvel 'Never Ever' Asked Her to Reprise X-Men Role: 'It's Been So Long'

Famke Janssen was one of the original big-screen X-Men, but don't expect to see her in upcoming Avengers movies.

The actress, 60, played Jean Grey across multiple X-Men movies, and she told Entertainment Weekly that Marvel has "never, never ever," reached out to her about reprising the part in future movies.

The actress is currently promoting her Netflix series Amsterdam Empire, and though she is now more than 10 years removed from the part, she said she is still asked about it frequently.

"Every time I do an interview, it's mentioned. It's interesting," she told EW. "I didn't realize that was such a big part. Every interview I do, that will come up, and of everything I say, that is going to be the only thing that's gonna be printed."

"I should be flattered, I suppose, that this character has resonated with people. It's been so long, but it's nice that people are still talking about her," Janssen added. "I'm sure every single time there's a new movie that they're doing, like [is it] Doomsday? ... it'll come up again."

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Janssen first portrayed Grey in 2000's X-Men. She reprised the role in four additional X-Men movies and last played the part in a cameo for 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past. (Sophie Turner later played the role in 2016's Apocalypse and 2019's Dark Phoenix as a younger version of the character.) 

Disney and Marvel Studios gained the rights to use X-Men characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2017, when Disney purchased 21st Century Fox. As recently as July of this year, Marvel executive Kevin Feige suggested the franchise will cast a new X-Men cast in the future, but several of Janssen's former costars will make at least one more appearance in next year's Avengers: Doomsday.

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Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, Alan Cumming, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden and Kelsey Grammer were among the original X-Men trilogy's cast for the movie that Marvel announced back in March. (Stewart, 85, previously appeared as a version of Professor X in 2022's Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, while Grammer made a cameo as Beast at the end of 2023's The Marvels.) 

Another original X-Men cast member who does not appear to star in Doomsday is Halle Berry, who portrayed Storm in the original trilogy. Berry, 59, said in August 2024 that Blake Lively once inquired about her appearing in last year's Deadpool & Wolverine as Storm alongside Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool, but Reynolds ultimately never reached out.

Janssen's Amsterdam Empire is now on Netflix. Avengers: Doomsday is in theaters Dec. 18, 2026.