Patrick Stewart weighs in on Logan and its timely depiction of persecution

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The X-Men have always explored themes of otherness and prejudice, from Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s original comics to the long-running series of films. In the decades since we first met Wolverine and Professor X, they’ve drawn parallels to the real world by tackling stories about discrimination and bias — and now, with the upcoming release of Logan, those stories are more relevant than ever.

For EW’s new cover story on Logan, writer Kevin P. Sullivan sat down with Hugh Jackman, director James Mangold, and Patrick Stewart to talk about Jackman’s final outing as Wolverine and why the Western-inspired Logan was the right note to go out on. In this clip from Sullivan’s interview with Stewart, Professor X himself opens up about what this film means to him and why he’s so invested in Logan’s message.

Watch the full interview with Hugh Jackman on the PEOPLE/Entertainment Weekly Network (PEN), or download the free app on your Smart TV, mobile and web devices.

“Significantly, every one of these films has been about something, and about something that was directly connected to the world we live in today, to society at large,” Stewart says. “Never more so than Logan. Never has it been more timely for a movie about otherness and the persecution and the separation of individuals in the world.”