Alan Cumming, 61, Doesn’t Feel Like His Age Though: New Roles Keep Him Moving

Hair and personal control

Cumming says he is considering cutting his hair after finishing a job, or changing its color. He has often altered his hairstyles over the years, linking that pattern to his father’s fixation on his hair.

In his memoir, Not My Father’s Son, Cumming recounts his father shaving his head with sheep shears during a fit of rage. He says the experience left him anxious about haircuts into early adulthood, but changing his hair later became a way to take control.

Physical roles and training

Cumming is reprising Nightcrawler in Avengers: Doomsday and said he enjoyed the preparation for the role. He boxed with trainers in France, including a teacher named Mo, whom he described as a former world champion.

He said filming Tip Toe was more physically demanding because he carried emotional weight while making the disturbing show. He exercised frequently and had two Thai massages on weekends because his body felt tense.

Building each character

Cumming said he pays close attention to a character’s physical presence. For The Traitors, he described his persona as upright, grand and dancer-like. In Tip Toe, the character grew less confident as the story progressed. Cumming said he became more physically crushed as the character’s confidence declined.