# X-Men Casting Call! Who would you cast as Gambit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 6, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296 "2003-05-06T00:05:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c67d28/32.png) [@cabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cabbit)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/1 "2003-05-06T00:05:39Z")
My friends and I have been racking our brains trying to find a credible player to portray Gambit in furture X-Men movies. We have failed miserably. I’ve seen some horrifying choices tossed about when I googled this subject (such as Claude Van Damme), but nothing that thrilled me. So, if you have a great idea, please post it, I’d love to see some suggestions. If you want to bring up some casting ideas for any other X-Men characters that haven’t been introduced yet, or that you feel were miscast up until now, please feel free to do so! ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/2 "2003-05-06T00:24:37Z")
I would have said Dennis Quaid ten years ago. He might be a little long in the tooth now. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/3 "2003-05-06T00:38:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gundy \* > \*\*I would have said Dennis Quaid ten years ago. He might be a little long in the tooth now. \*\* I’ve been saying the same thing. He can do the accent well enough. He’s a charmer and the ladies dig him. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/4 "2003-05-06T00:38:40Z")
Matthew McConaughey. ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/5 "2003-05-06T00:41:01Z")
Harry Connick Jr. \ ---
**Author:** ![Peg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Peg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peg)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/6 "2003-05-06T01:08:53Z")
Don’t they already have a Gambit? Upon re-checking, I see that Gambit was played by a stunt actor, but I didn’t see him so perhaps he didn’t make the final cut. If you’re curious, IMDB lists Gambit as played by James Bamford. Dennis would have been great. (Where does that phrase “long in the tooth” come from, anyway?) Harry Connick Jr would look good, but I wonder if he would be a strong enough actor. I like Gambit too much to dislike him in the movie (like say, Cyclops & Storm). **Jude Law**? ---
**Author:** ![Skydive101](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@Skydive101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skydive101)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/7 "2003-05-06T01:11:13Z")
Benicio Del Toro! ---
**Author:** ![catnoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@catnoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catnoe)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/8 "2003-05-06T01:15:16Z")
Colin Farrell He has the look, the charm, and a way with accents. And I am always looking for any chance to drool over him. Can’t you just picture him in that long coat, leaned against a wall doing the one hand shuffle with a deck of cards pulling off that ‘I don’t realize how gorgeous I am but I know I can charm any female on the face of the planet’ look? ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/9 "2003-05-06T02:58:35Z")
Justin Wilson ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/10 "2003-05-06T03:27:41Z")
Harry Connick Jr. would be a pretty cool choice, since I’m a big fan of his. He seems to be a solid actor, and he has the look. And obviously, he and Gambit are both from New Orleans. I wouldn’t count Colin Ferrell out, but I’d love to see the role go to an unknown, like Hugh Jackman was before playing Wolverine. Gambit could easily be the second huge breakthrough character from the X-Men movie franchise, and it could really make somebody’s career. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/11 "2003-05-06T03:30:44Z")
Ricky Jay doesn’t look or sound the part, but he can actually do the card throwing. That’s pretty damn cool. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/12 "2003-05-06T06:01:04Z")
Ricky Jay is rad. Did you see him on Conan O’Brien a few months back, when he pierced a watermelon several times with the cards? ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/13 "2003-05-06T12:06:16Z")
Vincent Ventresca. He was in the short lived _Invisible Man_ series. Pic (he’s the one in the middle): [![](https://www.syfy.com/scifi/invisibleman/downloads/pics.html?images/trio1.jpg) ](https://www.syfy.com/scifi/invisibleman/downloads/pics.html?images/trio1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/14 "2003-05-06T13:02:15Z")
Viggo Mortensen. ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/15 "2003-05-06T14:22:10Z")
Jake Lloyd. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/16 "2003-05-06T15:06:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by USCDiver \* > \*\*Justin Wilson \*\* Too funny! You just made my day… And made me want to cook with “a liddle wine, an a liddle mo’ wine, an a liddle MO’ wine.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/17 "2003-05-06T15:24:47Z")
Yes Lou, I saw that. Impressive stuff, I wonder how the heck he learned. How fast did he say he can throw them, 50 mph? ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/18 "2003-05-06T15:37:44Z")
Emiril Lagasse. **Bam!** 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/19 "2003-05-06T16:01:48Z")
Is Jean-Claude Van Damme too old? ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296/20 "2003-05-06T16:05:57Z")
Could be, but he’s surely too short and too…clean. We need some tall, scruffy guy with great hair and a great smirk. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/x-men-casting-call-who-would-you-cast-as-gambit/173296.md?page=2)