Marvel Star Dafne Keen Remembers Patrick Stewart With a Touching Tribute and a Haunting Coincidence
The tributes to Patrick Stewart keep coming, and some of the most moving have come from the people who shared a set with him. Dafne Keen, who starred opposite Stewart and Hugh Jackman in ‘Logan,’ has paid her own farewell to the actor. Her message is personal, funny and a little eerie, and it shows what Stewart meant to a much younger castmate.
Stewart died on October 28 at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 86. His family said he passed after a brief and moving illness with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy body dementia. Reactions have come from the ‘Star Trek’ and ‘X-Men’ worlds, and from Marvel itself.
Keen’s tribute, shared on Instagram alongside a photo from the set of ‘Logan,’ opens with a coincidence she called kismet. She said she heard about his passing earlier that day, only hours after she had been drafting an email to send him the night before. It was something she had not done in quite some time.
Keen described Stewart as kind, genuine, funny, unique, caring and charming. She recalled his endless jokes, his nurturing nature and his colorful reading glasses. Those small details suggest the kind of presence he was behind the scenes, far from the grand authority of Captain Picard or Professor X.
She also said that every day she spent working beside him felt like an honor and a privilege she could hardly believe. She called him a walking master of his craft and of life, and one of the greatest of his time on stage and on screen.
The part of the message that has resonated most comes next. Keen wrote that she has always looked up to Stewart, as an actor and as a man, and that she always will. She added that he had a wonderful way of wrapping every lesson he passed on in wonder, fun and excitement.
It is a lovely image of a veteran sharing hard-earned wisdom with a young actress. Keen was a child when she made her film debut, and she was surrounded by two of the biggest names in the franchise. That the lessons landed as joy rather than instruction says a lot about the man teaching them.
Keen said she will always remember Stewart’s warmth and the respect he showed to everyone around him. She added that she will hold the months they spent together close to her heart. She also said she will think of him as a pivotal part of how she views the world around her.
The words are those of someone for whom the experience was formative rather than just a job. For many actors, a first major project leaves a lasting imprint, and Keen’s tribute suggests Stewart was a big part of hers.
Released in 2017 and directed by James Mangold, ‘Logan’ is widely regarded as one of the best superhero films ever made. It was billed as the final outing for both Jackman’s Wolverine and Stewart’s Professor X, and it grossed about $619 million worldwide. Keen played Laura, also known as X-23, and was just a child at the time.
She quickly became the breakout of the film. Jackman and Mangold have both praised her work, and the story of her casting after an audition with Jackman has become part of Marvel lore. She later returned as Laura in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ in 2024.
Keen’s message sits alongside a wave of tributes. Jackman, her ‘Logan’ co-star, said he would miss Stewart for the rest of his days. Marvel Studios called Stewart a singular talent, a generous collaborator and a true gentleman, and said he defined Charles Xavier for generations of fans from ‘X-Men’ to ‘Logan’ to ‘Avengers: Doomsday.’
Stewart returned to Xavier in 2022 for a cameo in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ despite earlier saying ‘Logan’ would be his last. He is set to appear one more time in ‘Avengers: Doomsday,’ which opens in theaters on December 18.
What stands out in Keen’s post is how it centers on kindness. The tributes from veteran co-stars often focus on his career, but hers focuses on the way he made a young colleague feel. It is a reminder that a person’s legacy is often measured in how they treated others.
For fans, the message offers another glimpse of the man behind the characters. It also gives ‘Logan’ an extra layer of emotion on a rewatch, knowing how much the cast meant to one another.
What touched you most about Dafne Keen's tribute?
Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!
