Want an example of “ideal casting?” Try January Jones as Emma Frost in Matthew Vaughn‘s X-Men: First Class. The Mad Men star is frosty, blonde and sexy – much like the comic book incarnation of the character, a mutant with telepathic powers and the ability to transform her body into a diamond-hard form, allowing increased strength and durability (while suppressing her telepathy – can’t make it too easy, can we?). 
Also known as the White Queen and a prominent member of the Hellfire Club, Emma Frost will be one of the villains of the Kennedy-era installment of the X-Men franchise, along with Kevin Bacon. The major storyline chronicles the early friendship of Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender), and how the two allies end up on the opposite sides of an ongoing conflict between mutants and humans, with Lehnsherr becoming the villain Magneto.
In an interview with the LA Times’ Hero Complex, Jones talks about preparing for the role:
“The costumes are insane,” Jones said. “It’s a lot of very body-conscious stuff. If you look at the comic book, she’s barely dressed. She’s got quite the bod, which is very intimidating.”
Jones flew to London the day after shooting on Mad Men wrapped:
“I’m thinking, ‘I’m supposed to be doing crunches on the plane,’” she said. “How am I gonna get buff in one day? I’m a petite person, so I didn’t want to go into a strict workout and eating regime. I would have disappeared entirely, and she’s very busty, very voluptuous, so I didn’t want to get rid of any of my curves.”
It’s important for Jones to get into the character’s head while keeping the fans’ expectations in mind:
“Emma was a bespectacled, mousy child who had this power when she was young that she couldn’t quite harness, the telepathy, the mind-twisting stuff,” Jones said. “She had a falling out with her father and went her own direction.”
“Fans of the X-Men comics have a very set idea of these characters in their heads,” Jones said. “I wanted to know as much as I could about her so I wasn’t disappointing anyone. I’m sure I will still disappoint someone.”
Check out the full article for more details on the film, which has about a month of shooting left.
X-Men: First Class opens in June 2011.
What do you think of January Jones as Emma Frost?