Rachael Leigh Cook says turning down a role in 'X-Men' was a 'huge misstep'

• Rachael Leigh Cook said that she regrets turning down the part of a mutant named Rogue in "X-Men."
• "As soon as I saw the posters for it, I knew that I'd made a mistake," she told the New York Times.
• The role in the Marvel franchise was played by Anna Paquin, Cook's "She's All That" costar.

Rachael Leigh Cook said that she regrets turning down the role of Rogue in "X-Men."

"As soon as I saw the posters for it, I knew that I'd made a mistake," Cook, 41, told the New York Times in a recent interview.

The "She's All That" star turned down the part in the popular Marvel franchise prior to starring in the 2001 movie "Josie and the Pussycats" so that she could dedicate her time to smaller, more grounded projects.

In retrospect, Cook said that the move was a "huge misstep."

The actress also said that she made a conscious decision to take on more serious roles after "Josie and the Pussycats" failed to perform at the box office.

"I really thought what everyone told me was correct when they said, 'What we need to do now is make sure you're taken seriously,'" Cook said. "I definitely did things for the wrong reasons."

The part of Rogue would go on to be played by "True Blood" star Paquin, who had previously shared the big screen with Cook in "She's All That." Cook played the main character, Laney Boggs, while Paquin portrayed Zack Siler's (Freddie Prinze Jr.) younger sister named Mackenzie.

Paquin made her debut as Rogue, a mutant with the ability to absorb the energy, powers, and memories of any person she touches, in the first "X-Men" film released in 2000.

She reprised the role for three additional films: "X2: X-Men United," 'X-Men: The Last Stand," and "X-Men: Days of Future Past."

The blockbuster movies also starred Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Halle Berry as Storm, Famke Janssen as Jean Grey, and James Marsden as Cyclops. But "X-Men" screenwriter David Hayter told The Hollywood Reporter that the cast could have been completely different.

"Angela Bassett was our first choice for Storm, but her agents wanted more money than we had at the time," he said in a 2017 interview. "Same with Rachael Leigh Cook for Rogue."