She’s acting out

IN “X-Men: The Last Stand,” Anna Paquin plays Rogue, a super-mutant facing existential crisis. Capable of absorbing the life force of whomever she comes into skin contact with, the character must either carry on as an all-powerful untouchable -- someone who can help save the world but can’t kiss her boyfriend -- or opt to be “cured” of her otherness via a medical procedure at the core of the movie’s mutant-versus-human conflict.

It’s hard out there for a comic book hero. But life isn’t all about summer blockbusters and tight-fitting leather X-suits for the Canadian-born New Zealander, who won a best supporting actress Oscar at 11 for her role in “The Piano.” She’s already worked with many of the best actors and directors in the biz and tackled theater, winning a Drama Desk Award.

That stage experience netted Paquin, 23, the title role in writer-director Kenneth Lonergan’s movie “Margaret,” due later this year. For the comedy “Blue State,” Paquin has also moved behind the camera as executive producer.

*

In “X:3,” your character has a lot on her mind.

Well, that’s Rogue’s whole thing. She’s intense, emotional, introspective. Always has been.

*

In that sense, “The Last Stand” is atypical of most comic book adaptations.

That’s the balance that “X-Men” has always been able to keep. There’s a great deal of emotion and strongly held belief behind every action sequence, behind what they’re doing. I think that’s why people have continued to be interested in the movies -- why the comic books have lasted, like, 30 years.

*

How aware were you of that comic geek stuff when you signed on?

I had just done “Almost Famous” and was just graduating to those young woman roles. And then they were like, “We want to put you in the middle of our gigantic action movie.” I was like, “Um, OK.”

*

You started acting so young and you’re --

-- and maybe I’m naive. If I am, I hope to stay in my nice little bubble of youthful optimism. People say, “Oh, you have a nice balance of big and small movies.” That’s just dumb luck. As an actor you take what you can get.

*

But you chose to work in the theater. How does appearing on stage stack up to working in film?

There’s nothing like taking your character through their journey every night on stage. Sometimes, for brief moments, sometimes for entire shows, you enter into this state that’s like transcendental meditation.

*

You performed Kenneth Lonergan’s “This Is Our Youth” in London and now you’re his “Margaret.”

I’m on every page of the script. It was the best thing I ever read, so I was intimidated.

*

Who do you play?

She’s 17, enjoying testing how her sexuality affects other people, and tries to get the attention of a bus driver played by Mark Ruffalo. He runs a red light and hits a woman -- she dies in my lap.

It’s pretty profoundly disturbing. [The character] lies to the cops about what caused the crash, has a bout of conscience and then decides to tell them the truth. But by then, nobody cares. So she starts acting out. It’s self-destruction left, right and center.

*

Rogue’s self-discoveries en route to adulthood lead her to act out as well. Is it fair to see the roles as bookends?

Definitely. We actually shot “Margaret” in the middle of shooting “X-Men” -- I got a 10-week hiatus. As far as doing those kind of roles, that’s the stage of development that I’m up to, a lot of the roles in general that I take explore that.

*

What was it like playing the character for a third time?

Rogue’s basically in my blood. I’ve lived with this character for seven years. It’s a big part of my life. Getting back on set, seeing everybody, it comes out of muscle memory.

*

Bryan Singer chose not to direct this “X-Men” installment, then Brett Ratner was hired just before shooting began. How’d he do?

Brett, he was very respectful about allowing us to remain with the characters we’ve already established. He was aware that he would never be as familiar with the characters as we were.

Don’t get me wrong. He’ll nit-pick and do 25 takes to get what he wants. It must have been a somewhat daunting task to jump onto a movie two months before it starts with a cast that’s already been doing it for two movies. You gotta hand it to him on the confidence front. He made it his own film but kept the cohesion of the trilogy.

*

How long do you expect to stick with the franchise?

I don’t know how long it will be before people get sick of me running around in black leather. I don’t flatter myself.

*

What led you to take on executive producer duties in “Blue State”?

Over dinner with my older brother, we started talking about how much fun it would be to start a production company. A few years later we decided, “Why not?” He got financing, I wrapped “Margaret” and “X-Men.” We finished [in early May].

*

How did you like being on the other side of the camera?

I loved it: getting to make all the bigger creative decisions, being in the loop and getting to have an opinion, finding my instincts were pretty OK after being in films for 14 years.

*

You feel your input as an actress doesn’t matter?

Ultimately, if you’re not your own boss, you don’t get the final say.

*

What’s the comedy about?

This young Democrat played by Breckin Meyer vows he’ll move to Canada if Bush gets reelected -- and you know how that turned out.

-- Chris Lee