"So it wasn't actually that bad, it took a couple of weeks to sort of get used to uh, you know, standing around and pretending to have ice shoot out of your hand, but once you got used to that it uh, it was actually not that hard"

Shawn Ashmore reflects on his experience adjusting to the demands of portraying a superhero, hinting at both the novelty and the humor involved in transitioning into such a role. Initially, he minimizes any difficulties, suggesting that the process he underwent was not particularly arduous. However, he acknowledges that there was a period of adaptation required, which lasted a couple of weeks. During this time, he needed to acclimate to aspects of his performance that are unorthodox for most actors, specifically, the act of standing around and pretending to conjure ice from his hand, a power associated with his character Iceman in the X-Men film series.

The mention of “standing around” alludes to both the waiting that is often part of filmmaking and the inherently artificial circumstances actors face on a movie set, especially in a big-budget superhero production filled with visual effects and green screens. Ashmore’s phrase “pretending to have ice shoot out of your hand” draws attention to the imaginative leap required of actors in such genres; they must sell extraordinary actions to the audience with nothing more tangible than their own gestures and expressions, often without the benefit of practical effects or props.

His use of filler words like “uh” and “you know” reveals a casual, self-deprecating tone, as if he recognizes and embraces the absurdity of the task while not taking himself too seriously. This attitude underscores an essential aspect of his approach: adaptability. Ashmore implies that, although initially odd or embarrassing, the repeated act of miming superpowers becomes routine with time. Ultimately, he asserts that after this short adjustment phase, the particular challenge of his role, no matter how strange it might appear, became manageable and straightforward. The underlying message is one of professional flexibility and learning to find comfort in the unconventional realities of film acting.