Janet Jackson Says She Passed on Playing Storm in ‘X-Men’ Before the Role Went to Halle Berry

Jackson said she passed on the role because of tour obligations.

A legendary superhero role that ultimately went to Halle Berry was originally intended for Janet Jackson.

On a recent episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, Jackson revealed that due to touring obligations, she couldn’t take on the role of Ororo ‘Storm’ Munroe in the first X-Men franchise film.

“Ooh, this is horrible—I can’t remember the film,” Jackson said when asked about roles she’s turned down. “But Halle Berry played Storm…”

A legendary superhero role that ultimately went to Halle Berry was originally intended for Janet Jackson.

On a recent episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, Jackson revealed that due to touring obligations, she couldn’t take on the role of Ororo ‘Storm’ Munroe in the first X-Men franchise film.

“Ooh, this is horrible—I can’t remember the film,” Jackson said when asked about roles she’s turned down. “But Halle Berry played Storm…”

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“X-Men?” Barrymore exclaimed.

“But I couldn’t, because I was just embarking on the Janet Tour,” Jackson added.

The tour that Jackson was possibly referring to was The Velvet Rope Tour, which wrapped in 1999, the same year that X-Men began filming. She would resume acting in the 2000 comedy Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, which debuted seven years after her theatrical breakout in John Singleton’s Poetic Justice.

Although she hasn’t acted since 2010’s For Colored Girls, Jackson admitted she’d love to act again. “I would, for sure,” she said.