From Animated Superhero to Real-Life Trailblazer: Lenore Zann’s Memoir Lifts the Curtain on Fame, Fearlessness and Finding Her Voice.

July 22nd, 2025

It’s not every day you chat with someone who’s played a southern super-mutant, danced with Magneto in the clouds, been courted by Steven Spielberg, and sparred with NBC execs, all before embarking on a 12-year political career. But then again, Lenore Zann isn’t your average actor, voice or otherwise. She’s lived more lives than a soap opera character, and now, with the release of her memoir A Rogue’s Tale, she’s finally putting them all on the page.

“I’ve always been too busy living to write about it,” Zann told me during our Zoom interview, framed poetically by a background she didn’t realize was turned on. “But after politics and being brought back as Rogue for X-Men ’97, I had those rare in-between moments where I could sit down and say, ‘Let’s do this.’”

And do it she did, eight chapters on a single round-trip to New Zealand, courtesy of 16-hour Comic Con flights and a laptop with no distractions.

Spielberg, Cheers, and Red Sequins

Zann’s memoir spills plenty of behind-the-scenes Hollywood tea, like the time Steven Spielberg took a shine to her Marilyn Monroe photos and seriously considered her for Temple of Doom. While she ultimately lost out to Kate Capshaw, Zann couldn’t help but notice the uncanny resemblance between her costume photos and Capshaw’s red sequin-clad debut.

Coincidence? Maybe. Inspiration? Possibly. Bittersweet? Absolutely.

And then there was her near-miss with Cheers. “It came down to me and Shelley Long,” she recalls, laughing at the thought. “We were both in makeup chairs, going in for our screen tests. I was 22. She was older. She got it.”

You can’t blame casting directors for struggling with her type. Zann’s range made her hard to pin down, and her stories, from dating Andy Gibb to dealing with Tiny Tim’s star-on-the-decline advice (“You gotta have a gimmick!”) highlight a career built on fluidity, reinvention and an unshakable sense of self. Or, in her words, “I never wanted to be stuck as just ‘Marilyn.’ I wanted to play all kinds of roles—like Rogue, who’s anything but one-note.”

Rogue, Revival, and the Power of Touch

Let’s talk Rogue, the fan-favorite from X-Men: The Animated Series and now X-Men ’97. Zann’s sultry Southern drawl brought depth and vulnerability to a character who could absorb everyone’s powers but couldn’t so much as hold hands without risk of hurting the people she loved.

“It’s that paradox that makes her so rich,” Zann explained. “She’s strong, maybe the strongest woman in the universe, but she can’t touch or be touched without consequences. That level of isolation, of longing, really resonated with people.”

And boy, did they resonate. “Six-year-olds come up to me at Comic Cons, heartbroken for Rogue because she lost both her boyfriends,” Zann said, laughing. “From the mouths of babes, right?”

Even her own lines have made a splash like the one she ad-libbed in X-Men ’97’s now-Emmy-nominated Episode 5. “Instead of the scripted line, I told them I wanted to try something else,” she said. “After the kiss with Magneto, I said, ‘Thanks for the dance, sugar. But Remy was right, some things are deeper than skin.’” The show-runners kept it. The internet exploded. And a new generation of fans fell for Rogue all over again.

Not Just a Comic Con Queen

Zann’s career has evolved far beyond the animated screen. Her recent live-action horror series Revival is streaming now on Peacock and SyFy, and she’s making the rounds at Comic Cons and book events across the country, including a July 29th appearance at Books & Books in Miami, followed by Tampa Comic Con from August 1–3.

But don’t let the star power fool you, Zann’s journey hasn’t been all autographs and applause. Her memoir details early career sexual harassment, including a chilling episode with a theater director while she was playing Marilyn Monroe at just 19. “I went out and spent an entire week’s paycheck on a fake engagement ring to get him off my back,” she said. “When that didn’t work, I had to confront him directly—and then he punished me professionally.”

CANADA – MARCH 20: Lenore Zann (Marilyn) (Photo by David Cooper/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

Still, she persevered. “I stayed up late, blocked all my scenes myself, and came in the next day fully formed. On opening night, the audience stood up the moment I walked on stage. It was a baptism by fire and the birth of a career.”

From Stage to Senate

After conquering stage and screen, Zann shifted gears into Canadian politics, serving four terms and breaking ground as a female politician. It’s a chapter she teases may show up in a second memoir. “There’s a sequel coming, eventually,” she said. “Think of this first one as the origin story.”

That origin begins in Australia, touches down in Nova Scotia, and eventually rockets through Hollywood, Toronto and New York, where Zann crossed paths with legends like Louis Gossett Jr., Keanu Reeves, and Craig Russell, the drag icon who introduced her to L.A.’s gay underground in the pre-AIDS era.

Zann’s deep connection to the LGBTQ+ community, her candidness about alcoholism (she quit drinking at 36, the same age Monroe died), and her lifelong commitment to storytelling make her memoir feel more like a tapestry than a tell-all. “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll hum a few show tunes. And maybe, you’ll find a bit of your own story in mine.”

Final Thoughts from the Strongest Woman in the Universe

As our conversation wound down, Zann reflected on the surreal beauty of revisiting her past—and reconnecting with fans through new channels like X-Men ’97 and Comic Cons.

“We didn’t have social media back then. There was no way to see how much people loved the show. Now, I get messages, I hear their stories, it’s so humbling,” she said. “And it reminds me why we do this. We’re storytellers, but we’re also listeners. We’re part of something bigger.”

So whether you meet her in Miami, see her on Peacock, or hear her Southern sass echo across the multiverse, one thing’s for sure: Lenore Zann may be a Rogue, but she’s one hell of a hero too.

Be sure to check out her memoir A Rogue’s Tale, which is available now online and in select stores.