(Cover) - EN Movies - Kevin Bacon's "bravado" was the reason he was cast in X-Men: First Class.

The actor is super villain Sebastian Shaw in the movie, a character who can absorb others' energy and use it against them. He's spoken before about how much fun it was to play an evil character, and director Matthew Vaughn has now discussed why he was perfect for the part.

Matthew originally thought Colin Firth might be a good casting call. He was also considering Kevin, and was horrified when he found out the pair were friends and knew he was talking to them both. Eventually Kevin won the role, a decision which Matthew is delighted about.

"I've been a fan of Kevin's a long, long time. Kevin had that bravado that Shaw needed, because Shaw's a difficult character, the whole thing about absorbing energy, how do you do that?" he explained to ObsessedWithFilm. "And the ponytail and dressing up in cravats and all that sh*t, if we get it wrong I don't want to be like Stormbreaker where you get these villains you can't take seriously. So I just sat down with Kevin and we said let's make him like a Bond villain where he's suave, debonair, and charming."

Matthew is pleased Kevin's character has been likened to a James Bond villain. He's a huge fan of the suave British spy and kept the characters he's battled in mind while shooting.

"You Only Live Twice I don't know if you guys remember that it was all about trying to create a nuclear war, so You Only Live Twice was very influential in that," he explained. (C) Cover Media