X-Men: The Last Stand director denies he ‘mugged off’ Vinnie Jones by reducing Juggernaut role

X-Men: The Last Stand director Brett Ratner has denied he “mugged off” Vinnie Jones by cutting back his role in the film.

Jones portrayed the villain Juggernaut in the maligned 2006 sequel, who memorably shouts at one point, “Don’t you know who I am? I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!”

The actor claimed that he was initially meant to have a larger role in the film, having been cast by filmmaker Matthew Vaughn, who was originally hired to direct the sequel.

When Ratner replaced him, Jones claims much of his role was cut from the script.

“I basically got mugged off,” Jones told Comic Book Movie. “Brett Ratner basically dissolved the character. I was in my f***ing trailer half the time. It’s one of the most disappointing jobs I’ve been on as far as, you know, ‘What am I doing here?’ … Basically, I was an extra, mate. That’s how I felt. I was gutted, to be honest.”

Ratner has now denied that he deliberately cut Jones. In a since-deleted post to his Instagram, Ratner joked that Rebecca Romijn’s nearly-naked blue villain Mystique was “easier on the eyes”.

Ratner added: “In all seriousness, I shot the script I was given and I was not able to expand the role of Juggernaut as per Vinnie’s request due to the extremely limited time I had to deliver the film.

“I have the utmost respect and admiration for Vinnie Jones and his talent and thought he created a memorable character.”

The Last Stand marked the final entry in the initial X-Men trilogy. In its wake came a rebooted prequel series in 2011, which was set in motion by a re-hired Vaughn.