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For Rebecca Romijn, having the looks of a model wasn't as important as having the patience of a model on the set of X-Men, opening July 14, 2000.

The former MTV House of Style host, who plays the mutant villain Mystique in the action film, endured makeup sessions that lasted six to eight hours, which was how long it took to apply about 70 self-sticking silicon scales to her body and paint her bright blue.

"The makeup was the most excruciating part of the shoot," says Romijn, who is married to former Full House star John Stamos. "Only somebody with modeling experience could have done it."

While Romijn had the experience to endure such a process, her stunt double, who had to go through the same makeup sittings, didn't - a fact that wasn't lost on Romijn.

After filming was completed, the actress bought her double a huge bag full of handmade cosmetics and bath salts - all the same color as their character.

Romijn also was grateful for her stunt double's action work, which gives the character a tough-gal image.

"It was really fun to be a bad --," she says. "It's also nice to be cast as a bad guy because people only see me as friendly."

Original article: USA Today