Hugh Jackman After Playing Wolverine
2000’s X-Men didn’t just bring back superhero movies for the new millennium; it also made Hugh Jackman a household name. The man behind Wolverine had his life changed massively after the breakout hit released in theaters.
Jackman didn't expect the role
The first X-Men was almost a very different movie. For one thing, Hugh Jackman nearly didn’t appear in it. He wasn’t even the director’s first or second choice to play Wolverine: initially, Mel Gibson’s name was thrown around, but director Bryan Singer actually hoped Russell Crowe would play the part instead. However, the Gladiator star passed because he didn’t think he was the right fit for the role and recommended Jackman in his place. This may have gotten Jackman in the door, but he still thought he didn’t have a chance of being in the franchise when Dougray Scott was officially cast as Wolverine. Jackman came in as a last minute back-up for Scott, who was still working on Mission: Impossible II when filming on X-Men was scheduled to begin. In the end, an accident on the set of the Tom Cruise film meant that Scott had to drop out, leading Jackman to take on the life-changing role of Wolverine. During an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jackman recalled that his audition took place on the set when filming was already underway. In spite of the factors working against him. like the fact that he’s a foot taller than Wolverine is in the comics — Jackman was given the part that he’s held onto for decades.
X-Men Made Him a Celebrity
Everybody knows the name Hugh Jackman, and they can thank X-Men for that. The Australian actor may have received his sole Oscar nomination for Les Misérables, but he wouldn’t have gotten there in the first place if not for his time in the claws. X-Men had a huge impact on bringing the superhero genre into the mainstream, along with its rising star. Jackman was a relative newcomer when he was cast in 1999 — and although X-Men marked his first big Hollywood role, he was actually warned against it. Thankfully, Jackman gave his all to the movie anyway, knowing the producers were taking a chance on him as well. It paid off. Jackman’s co-star, the legendary Patrick Stewart, said he saw the young actor’s potential immediately. As Stewart recalled in his autobiography Making It So: A Memoir “We were all rooting for him; he had that intangible star quality.” Nowadays, there’s no denying that Stewart’s instincts were dead on.
Transitioning from Theater to Film
X-Men is a series about outsiders who struggle to conform. Mutants have trouble fitting in with humans, but Wolverine even has a hard time socializing with other mutants. Logan stands apart from the other characters for much of the film, and that’s something that Hugh Jackman can relate to. Jackman made his way to X-Men from a West End production of “Oklahoma!” and found the transition to film to be a lonely process. This feeling was made worse by his arrival on the film three days into the shoot, along with the fact that he was surrounded by A-list stars and industry veterans. Jackman later revealed that it took years before he felt fully comfortable on a film set, but that discomfort seemed to serve him well on the set of X-Men. Thankfully, things started to turn around, and Jackman soon formed lasting friendships with many of his co-stars.
Meeting McKellen and Stewart
Speaking of friendships with his fellow actors, Jackman formed particularly close bonds with two of his most decorated co-stars: Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. He found the men behind Magneto and Professor X to be hugely supportive and inspirational as they helped guide him through his early days in Hollywood. McKellen was the first to offer Jackman an important piece of acting advice that’s always stuck with him. The stop-start nature of filming was a bit of a learning curve after Jackman’s theater experience, but McKellen’s words helped him get a handle on it. Stewart also offered Jackman life advice that he’s never forgotten. Jackman told The Hollywood Reporter that Stewart taught him to always make time for himself first thing in the morning before work. This is something he tries to live by, so you won’t catch him reading the news or checking his emails the moment he wakes up. Instead, he prefers to sit and read a book with a cup of coffee.
Learning from Logan
Although he experienced a difficult and lonely period on the set of X-Men during the early days of filming, Hugh Jackman was able to find comfort in the character of Wolverine. Jackman said he enjoys the experience of embodying a character so wholly different from himself, and he even finds opportunities to learn from Logan. Wolverine may not be the most stable guy to take all your life lessons from, but learning how to relax in your own skin and not to overvalue the opinions of others is certainly a positive thing. Over the years, as Jackman has regularly returned to his X-Men character, he took on another one of Logan’s personality traits.
Getting Totally Jacked
Hugh Jackman only had a few weeks to get jacked to play Wolverine in X-Men, since filming had already begun when he was cast. Still, fans seem to agree that he did a pretty good job at packing on the muscle. Upon each return to the franchise, Jackman has gotten increasingly buff — but that can be a challenge, as his natural body type is pretty lean. As a dancer, Jackman finds that it doesn’t serve him to have Wolverine’s biceps when he’s not filming, so his body changes more than most. Jackman’s process for bulking up quickly to play Wolverine is something he’s been honing for a long time. He typically gets ripped by hitting the gym twice a day, six times a week. He typically focuses on compound movements with free weights such as bench presses, squats, and deadlifts, as well as accessory movements like weighted pull-ups, push-ups, and curls. Jackman has also taken a few tips from other famously swole celebs, like Dwayne Johnson. Diet also plays a big part in transforming Jackman’s physique. Naturally, when he’s trying to bulk up, Jackman needs to increase his calorie intake. While filming 2017’s Logan, the actor said that he was consuming up to 8,000 calories per day along with all of his physical training, of course.
Moving Beyond Marvel
Not only was X-Men a successful film in its own right, but it also launched a multi-billion dollar movie franchise and made Wolverine one of the most iconic heroes around. After showcasing his acting prowess, impressive physique, and talents as leading-man in the 2000 movie, the job offers started pouring in for Jackman. In came parts in rom-coms like Someone Like You and Kate & Leopold alongside action roles in Swordfish and Van Helsing. These action movies were a natural fit for Jackman coming off the X-Men franchise, but he said that he never felt like he was being typecast. Jackman simply went with the flow until he was able to pick and choose the roles he wanted. When it was finally up to him, he maintained his love of the theater by participating in big screen adaptations of the Broadway musicals The Greatest Showman and Les Misérables. Jean Valjean in Les Mis was a dream role for Jackman, and he enjoyed singing alongside some of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters. That said, he’s always found his way back to Wolverine before long.
Jackman is Protective of Wolverine
Part of what makes Hugh Jackman so convincing as Wolverine is his passion for the character. Although he wasn’t that familiar with Wolverine’s history in the comics prior to joining X-Men, he did plenty of research once he got the part. The longer Jackman plays Logan, the more he’s come to appreciate the complicated hero.
As the X-Men franchise expanded, Jackman got more involved in production behind the scenes and advocated for his character wherever he could. He always made it clear that he’s passionate about diving deeper into unseen aspects of Wolverine, exploring his backstory and motivations in different ways. Jackman got the chance to do this as an executive producer on X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but it proved to be a frustrating experience he is still upset about. The mystery of Logan’s past continued to unravel in The Wolverine and for the actor, the movie was years in the making.
The standalone Wolverine movies culminated with 2017’s Logan, which earned an Oscar nomination for its screenplay. Jackman recalled fighting for the movie’s title as executives were hesitant to move away from the Wolverine branding, saying:
“I said we gotta call it ‘Logan’ because this is actually about more the human being than the superhero.”
As we all know, Jackman and writer-director James Mangold won that battle, making Logan stand out as the bittersweet final appearance of the Wolverine we all know and love. Until 2024
Hugh Jackman's Journey as Wolverine
Much of Hugh Jackman’s adult life has been built around Wolverine.
The role made Jackman famous, but more importantly, it afforded him financial security early in his career. Jackman earned $500,000 for his debut in X-Men, and his salary has risen considerably with every outing since. He’s earned in excess of $100 million from playing Wolverine to date, which makes up a considerable chunk of his $180 million net worth.
Now, Jackman has been the guardian of one of Marvel’s biggest characters for the better part of a quarter-century. Although he initially meant for Logan to be his last hurrah in the signature sideburns, he went back on his promise so he could join the MCU with Deadpool & Wolverine. Logan has gone through a huge transformation and doesn’t seem to be the same character that viewers remember, but Jackman is back nonetheless. This role marks a new phase in the actor’s career, as rumors even suggest that Jackman will appear in the forthcoming Avengers: Secret Wars. Whether or not he actually does remains to be seen, but 10 movies over 24 years is quite the legacy for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine.
