Original-Cin Q&A: X-Men '97's Rogue/Ex-Federal MP Lenore Zann Talks Social Justice Onscreen and Off
By John Kirk
Lenore Zann is not just a Canadian actress or a politician – she’s a crusader.
Original-Cin chatted with Zann at Fan Expo’s Toronto Comicon this weekend about the rebirth three decades later on Disney+ of one of the most iconic ‘90s Saturday morning animations. The first episode of X-Men ’97 was released as a preview for lucky ticket-holders at the convention. It has begun streaming on Disney+.
Click HERE to read John Kirk’s review of the revived series.
One thing that’s apparent in talking with Zann is her openness and positivity. It’s a quality that comic writers like to present in their superheroes and one that she gravitates towards naturally. As a lifetime reader of comic heroes, though, I’ve learned that crusaders are just meant to be.
Lenore Zann and friends, at Fan Expo’s Toronto Comicon
In Zann’s case, that meant being the longtime Rogue of the X-Men and serving as an MPP and MP in Nova Scotia. As a politician, she campaigned for issues on the environment, social justice and racial equality. As one of the X-Men, she fought against bigotry and marginalization. It’s quite striking how similar these roles are in ambition, if different in form.
We started, as with every superhero, getting to know Zann’s own origin story.
O-C: Take us back to the beginning. Back to 91 – how were you cast?
ZANN: I was doing everything – movies, television, radio. I was doing a play called “Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love” by the Canadian playwright, Brad Fraser in New York. I did it for about two years and it was in Toronto, Chicago, New York. And I came back from doing that experience, and my agent in Toronto said that there was an audition for this cartoon series. Honestly, I’d only ever done one cartoon series before so I was more interested in doing regular TV,, film and theatre.
So, I didn’t go to those first auditions. But, about a month later, my agent called me back and said ‘Lenore, they still haven’t found the right actress yet for this role, because it’s you. I know it’s you. They want someone with a deep, husky, sexy voice who could do a Southern accent.’ I went down, saw the drawing of Rogue, with her hand on her hip and her sassy attitude, and I thought: yeah, I could do that. I walked into the booth, put my headphones on, and (director) Larry Houston and gave them one little monologue. I heard them screaming: ‘That’s her! That’s her! That’s Rogue. Don’t let her leave the building!’ And that’s how I got the part!
O-C: Did you have any knowledge of the character beforehand?
ZANN: No – I just landed the character! (Laughs)
O-C: What was your favourite storyline from the original series?
ZANN: I love “Rogue’s Tale” – obviously, because it tells her origin story. But I also love “The Cure” because I think it’s such an important message to the youth of any generation that it’s okay to not feel comfortable in your own skin, that you eventually need to embrace who you are, warts and all! Even the parts that you think you hate or cause you pain are actually what make you who you are, and it’s okay.
Rogue, in “The Cure” tries to get rid of her super-powers to try and be “normal” like everyone else. But in the end, she realizes that her super-powers, even though they cause her pain - because she can’t get close to anyone – are what make her who she is. And at the end of that episode, she says: “There ain’t no cure for who you are, and I reckon that I can use those powers for good – and I reckon I can live with that.” And I think that’s just such a great message.
O-C: You are an accomplished politician and you are known for being the voice of this prominent superhero in Marvel Comics history. Both figures make changes. How do you reconcile being a super-hero and a civil servant?
ZANN: Well, when I went into politics in 2009, I wasn’t a super-hero at the time (laughs). But I had been in movies and television and theatre. I was in a one-woman show about Marilyn Monroe in New York, and I didn’t realize it at the time, but in the show, I talked a lot about politics. I talked about body politics, Marilyn being uncomfortable in her own skin and never accepting herself for who she was. Because, even though she had the money, the fame and the men, she didn’t know how to love herself.
I found myself wanting to touch people, to reach young women with the message that you have to fill yourself with acceptance and self-love. So, the monologues I was writing for myself in the play were very political and touched on societal topics like world peace. And once I’d done that, I’d realized when I was asked to run for politics, I didn’t have to hide myself behind a character. I could be myself. I could take the mask off, talk about political matters as myself and I could make the world a better place. That was like a stepping stone to not being a hero, but just being myself, comfortable in my own skin.
O-C: Describe how you felt when you “heard the call” – the announcement for X-Men ’97.
ZANN: Blown away! I had been a politician at that point for about 12 years. I had won four elections in a row, provincial and federal and I had introduced an important bill about a national strategy to address environmental justice and racism that had been making its way around the House. A snap election was called – in the middle of the pandemic – and I had only been a federal politician for two years.
We had just had a major mass shooting in my community. And because of the pandemic, I hadn’t been able to get out and connect with people. I couldn’t win. I lost my seat and I was devastated. Suddenly though, I got the call.
It was like Professor X saying: “To me, my X-men! Rogue! You’re one of us!” It felt like that. And what am I going to say? I loved becoming a super-hero again, with all that I can say!
O-C: Rogue is such a significant character in the X-Men; not just in the show, but in the entire franchise. What quality of yours do you think you added to her?
ZANN: I’m a social justice warrior. I was before I went into politics and I’ve always cared about justice, people being equal, human rights, the environment and people coming together to learn that we have more in common than our differences.
I come by that honestly. Both my parents were teachers from Australia and both of them cared about these issues. Both of them imbued their teaching and their classrooms with these values and they imparted that to me. So, for me, it’s just such great honour and responsibility to wear this “suit” and to have an opportunity and a platform to spread the message of hope to many people around the world.
O-C: What’s different from this iteration of the X-Men from the previous one?
ZANN: To be honest, there is none. When X-Men ’97 starts, there is only about five weeks after the last episode of the fifth season. Professor X has gone with Lilandra to another planet to heal and Cyclops is running the X-Men. There is no character development for me from that point. I just pick up from where I left off thirty years ago!
O-C: What did you want to say to long-time fans and new ones about to see the series for the first time?
ZANN: Come to me, my X-Men!
(In Rogue’s voice): Well, you can come to me, mah X-Men! Cuz, ah love everybody and ah think we all just need to get along! (Laughs).
What’s truly rewarding about talking with Zann is the sincerity in her love for the role of Rogue and the message that resonates with her character. She mirrors in her performance of this character what she has done in her public life.
The X-Men, as mutants were feared by society for their differences, but despite that, chose to protect humanity and championed anti-racism, fought against intolerance and strove for acceptance for not just themselves but for others as well. They were Stan Lee’s and Marvel Comics’ voice for social justice.
It just seems natural for Zann to adopt the same attitude.
Especially when she throws a little “sugah” into the mix.