2013 sees the much-delayed release of the second Wolverine movie. It seemed from the start that the second installment had been cursed. A series of rewrites, directors leaving and a massive Japanese earthquake extended the making of the film. When it did finally go ahead, most of the action took place in Japan where Jackman’s character went on an adventure in and around Tokyo, encountering many a dangerous foe and friend along the way. However, some sound stage work was completed in Hugh’s homeland.
Jackman mentioned he was again very excited about slipping on the steel claws and white vest. ‘I think we’ve got the chance to nail the character this time, to do the hole-in-one. We haven’t managed that yet. On the last movie, we complicated it with too many other characters. And there’ll be more women this time, which is good. The last one was so masculine! The new film will go more into the character. I don’t think we’ve ever seen his rage expressed properly. We’re letting go with this one of the whole “Who am I? Where did I come from? Oh no, I’ve lost my memory” thing. I feel like that’s sent us all to sleep. “Yeah, whatever pal. We’re bored! Fine, you were a sushi chef, whatever it was, can we just get on with the story now?”’
Wolverine will of course be one of the summer blockbusters of 2013.
The great thing about Hugh is that even though he’s one of the biggest actors on the planet, he really seems to understand what is important in life, and what really matters. Thankfully, he feels it’s not all about being a busy movie or stage star, or a producer. In fact, for him, it’s quite the reverse. He still maintains the most important part of his life is being so much in love with his wife, and the joy of being a father-of-two. It’s quite easy to see that, in a film industry riddled with insecurities, the Australian manages to balance his frequently chaotic life and still remains genuinely grounded. It is also refreshing, in a world obsessed with worshipping celebrities who are often badly behaved and who frequently pop in and out of rehab, to see a star as affable and clean-cut as Jackman emerge from the shadows to shine brightly.
‘There are a few things that I have to do every day without which I will lose the plot,’ admitted the actor, ‘Firstly, I meditate every day, and that brings me back to the essential me, where no matter what role I’m playing, I forget it all for a little bit twice a day. Then, of course, my wife and family are a very big part of anchoring me to what is essentially the most important thing to me, which is their wellbeing and our happiness. I’ve realised that if you’re doing something you love, that’s amazing to watch, but you can do twice as much because you just love it, you have passion, it’s not exhausting, you don’t complain about it or you don’t get sick.’
Deborra-Lee also feels that their relationship is as strong now as it’s ever been: ‘We’re still like kids going, “Wow! Look at this! Look at that!” It’s been a joyride. We’ve got to work with amazing people, we’ve got to travel and meet extraordinary people. When we first met, we said, “Let’s travel the world.” It’s great we can make this work, career and travel, and a creative life together. We’re like this nomadic tribe, but, believe it or not, we have incredible routine and normality. The kids always have the same routine. I feel blessed that I have such a great relationship.’
Obviously, there is a lot of pressure on them as a family that moves around a lot, but they understand that travelling is the nature of the beast. While Hugh continues to juggle lots of balls in the air at the same time, they both maintain a firm grip on what matters, while often relying on their sense of humour to help them through.
Although the couple both try their best to live outside the ‘normal’ celebrity lifestyle, they do have a slew of A-list buddies, a nanny and nice cars, and everyday conversation is often littered with references to influential friends from Nicole Kidman to Sting or Rupert Murdoch. Hugh has a passion for collecting fine wines, but an equal passion for sharing it out among his friends at dinner parties, while Deb loves to be the life and soul of any occasion. And truth be told, they are not averse to attending the odd glitzy Hollywood event every now and again as it is all part of the networking process. However, even among all the celebrity trappings, right down to paparazzi lurking for shots of the family in unguarded moments, they both have a matter-of-fact lack of pretension.
‘I lived on a hundred bucks a week as a drama student, until I was 26. It was fine, but I remember walking past a good restaurant and thinking I’d love to be able to walk in there without having to worry about the bill. I still go into a five-star hotel and jump up and down on the bed. And when I go into a plane and turn left into first class, I go, ‘Woo hoo’. None of this happened until X-Men, so absolutely none of it is lost on me.’
Hugh believes the older and more famous he gets, the easier he finds it to separate the over-hyped role of an actor from what it really means and where it fits in the real world. He sometimes finds it amusing but worrying when an actor’s every word is translated as gospel, with millions of people not able to tell the difference between the real and fake world of Hollywood: ‘It’s a dangerous position to think, as an actor, that your opinion matters. You’re out there dressing up, pretending to be someone for others’ entertainment. You’re an entertainer. Actors were fools in the old days. Like the jesters in Shakespeare, you could affect people. Now your whole life is there for people to talk about, and you get paid well for it… So much about being an actor is just being alive and listening and entertaining and providing a service. Ultimately, great actors are conduits for great scripts and great stories. They’re not the centre of the world.’
With this last thought firmly planted in his mind, both he and Deb work hard on not allowing their kids to turn into Hollywood brats on the back of their success: ‘The hard thing with my kids is I’m terrified of them getting on a plane and saying in reference to people not flying first class, “Daddy, what’s behind the curtain?” They’ve been brought up with more privileges than I ever had. I lived on £100 a week until I was twenty-six, with rent and everything.’ But knowing the well-grounded couple from Australia, no matter how famous they become and how much money they have in the bank, their kids will never be allowed to forget how different life could have been for all of them.
On his future plans, oddly enough, Hugh says that he has little idea of what he wants to do next. However, at this stage and position in his life, he is more than happy to see where the road takes him and he jokes that he is open to suggestions as long as he gets time to play the odd game of killer tennis with one of his best mates now and then.
There are rumours from some quarters that he will keep playing Wolverine until he’s old and grey, while others are certain he will leave all that behind him and concentrate on playing serious roles, going forward and getting more involved in directing and producing. Whatever the outcome, it is a dead cert that he will succeed, or die trying. One of the more amusing reports doing the rounds is that the man from Oz may be a candidate to play the lead in a film on the life of Hugh Hefner, the American magazine publisher and founder of Playboy. Hugh smirks when asked what he would bring to the role.
‘I think Hef is an embodiment of the male American dream. He pushed that in the 1950s and said, “Come on, this is what you really want. Let’s be honest, I’m living what you really want.” If I read the script right, he was a dreamer and not particularly the ladies’ man as a teenager. Hef became an alter ego, who he wanted to be.’ Hugh went on to say that all of us have those dreams, but few attempt to achieve them, and that he admired Hefner’s ambition and his courage in not caring what anybody thought: ‘He was a real fighter who prevailed. He also has the ability to kind of laugh at himself, which from the Australian point of view is probably the most important thing.’
A visit to the Playboy mansion to put on the famous purple robe may or may not come off for Hugh one day, but one thing is certain: he surely is a unique talent, particularly in comparison to many of the one-trick-pony crop of today’s Hollywood stars. He is often referred to as a throwback to
the actors of a golden generation and compared to two of Hollywood’s legends, the laid-back and loveable Cary Grant and the rough-and-tumble action hero Clint Eastwood. He knows it’s definitely not a bad thing because as he said there are worse actors to be compared with – although the truth may not be the same the other way around.
Hugh tells a funny story about meeting one of his heroes a few years ago: ‘I did Swordfish for Warner Bros, and Clint’s a Warner guy. We went to ShoWest, the Comic-Con for exhibitors, in Vegas. I was not a star at that point. We were lining up backstage, and in front of me was Sylvester Stallone. I was like, holy shit, Rocky’s in front of me! I look behind, and there was Clint Eastwood. My heart really dropped. I thought, “What do I say? This is the man, Dirty Harry! And he’s really tall!” So I turned and said, “Hi Clint, my name’s Hugh,” and we shook hands. And then I said, “Listen, mate, I’m not sure if you’ve seen X-Men, but people have said I look a bit like you.” Of course, what could he say to that, anyway – some schmuck in front of him saying, “I look like you”? So he said, “You’re holding up the line, kid.” I turned around. Stallone had already gone onstage, and I was just holding up the line. I was humiliated, but later I thought, “Did he deliver a great line or what?”’
Even if Clint Eastwood didn’t recognise him, it’s still been a wonderful journey for Hugh Jackman. There’s a certain irony that Jackman, the abandoned boy, chose to go into acting, a profession whose currency is both adoration and rejection. And he admits it shows a need of some kind: ‘I saw the play Riflemind about fame and the need for love, and there’s a great quote by Bono which goes something like, “Any person who has to get up on stage to have unanimous, instantaneous love yelled at them from 70,000 people obviously has some massive hole within them.” On some level all of us have the need for acceptance and respect, and dare I say it, attention. My mother often joked around that as the youngest, I used to stand up on a chair and make a lot of noise and throw my arms around, and she used to say, “Hugh, you don’t have to show off to get attention.” Now, in the light of my career, she says, “Well, what do I know?”’
He truly is a mega-superstar who is just an ordinary nice guy, the boy from next door, and it’s quite easy to see why everyone loves him. In fact, he’s actually quite an open person who wears his heart on his sleeve a lot more than many other actors. Although he’s a little more circumspect in talking about matters than he used to be, especially things that affect other people, he doesn’t feel he has a lot of secrets and he’s not that preoccupied with trying to keep them locked away.
He’s a star who sits comfortably in his own skin, while always looking to stretch himself. There is more than a feeling in showbiz land that the world hasn’t yet seen the best of Hugh Jackman, and everything that he’s done so far has just been the foundation for much bigger things to come. And who would bet against it? With the determination and drive he’s shown in the past, plus the support and love of his family, he can do anything he wants. So watch out, Prime Minister of Australia, Hugh may be lining up for your job next!
He is one of the bright stars, if not the brightest star, in the Hollywood sky, commanding fees in the region of $25 million per film. There is no doubt he has colossal charisma and matinée-idol good looks and is very, very bankable. A multi-edged individual who can sing, dance, act, produce, host and much more – the list is endless. He’s proved to be a breath of fresh air in an industry that can easily get clouded by inflated pay cheques and gigantic egos. Nevertheless, he’s learned to take it all in his stride with a huge smile on his face. Probably the most important thing that the success of Hugh Michael Jackman, the boy from Wahroonga, has brought to the world is proof that – and he has gone a long, long way to prove it – sometimes the good guys do make it to the top.
‘Acting is something I love. It’s a great craft that I have a lot of respect for. But I don’t think it’s any greater challenge than teaching eight-year-olds or any other career. In my life, I try not to make it more important than it is and I just hope that rubs off on the people around me.’
Hugh Jackman
Filmography
Film/TV Credits:
Les Misérables (2012)
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Butter (2012)
Real Steel (2011)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2 (2011, announced)
Unbound Captives (2010)
Guardians of Ga’Hoole (2010)
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) Logan/Wolverine
Australia (2008) Drover
Deception (2008) Wyatt Bose
Uncle Jonny (2008) Uncle Russell
Viva Laughlin (2007) (TV) Nicky Fontana
Happy Feet (2006) Memphis
Flushed Away (2006) Roddy
The Prestige (2006) Robert Angier
The Fountain (2006) Tomas/Tommy/Tom
Scoop (2006) Peter Lyman
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) Logan/Wolverine
Van Helsing (2004) Van Helsing
Making the Grade (2004) (TV) Mr. Slattery
Standing Room Only (2004) Roger
X-Men 2: X-Men United (2003) Logan/Wolverine
Kate & Leopold (2001) Leopold
Swordfish (2001) Stanley Jobson
Someone Like You… (2001) Eddie Alden
X-Men (2000) Logan / Wolverine
Oklahoma! (1999) (TV) Curly McLain
Erskineville Kings (1999) Wace
Paperback Hero (1999) Jack Willis
Halifax f.p: Afraid of the Dark (1998) (TV) Eric Ringer
Snowy River: The McGregor Saga Duncan Jones (TV – 5 episodes, 1996)
Blue Heelers Brady Jackson (1 episode, 1995)
Correlli Kevin Jones (TV – 10 episodes, 1995)
Law of the Land Charles ‘Chicka’ McCray (TV – 1 episode, 1994)
Producer:
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
Deception (2008)
An Aussie Goes Bolly (2008) TV series
Viva Laughlin (2007) (executive producer)
What a Whale Wants (2007) TV episode (executive producer)
The Directors’ Series (2007) TV series (executive producer)
An Aussie Goes Barmy (2006) TV series (executive producer)
Awards:
2012 Tony Award Special Award for Extraordinary Contribution to the Theatre Community.
2012 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Action Movie Actor - Real Steel
2011 Scream Award for Best Cameo - X-Men: First Class
2010 People’s Choice Award for Favorite Action Star – X-Men Origins: Wolverine
2009 Jackman had his hand and footprint ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
2009 Best Performance By A Human Male at the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards as Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine
2008 Teen Choice Award for Choice Actor in an Action Adventure X-Men Origins: Wolverine
2008 Australian GQ Man of the Year
2008 People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive Award
2008 Australian Film Institute Award Readers’ Choice
2008 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance in a Stage Musical – The Boy from Oz
2008 WAAPA – Chancellor’s Alumni Award for Excellence, UTS Towering Achievement Award
2006 Mo Award for Australian Performer of the Year
2006 ShoWest Award for Male Star of the Year
2005 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program – 58th Annual Tony Awards Ceremonies
2004 Australian Showbusiness Ambassador of the Year
2004 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival – Short Film Award for Best Actor – Making the Grade
2004 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical – The Boy from Oz
2004 Theater Fans’ Choice Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical – The Boy from Oz
2004 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in a Musical – The Boy from Oz
2004 TDF-Astaire
Award for Best Male Dancer in Theatre – The Boy from Oz
2004 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance of the Year – The Boy from Oz
2004 Broadway Audience Award – The Boy from Oz
2004 Theatre World Award – The Boy from Oz
2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical – The Boy from Oz
1999 Australian Movie Convention, Australian Star of the Year
1998 Mo Award for Best Actor in a Musical – Sunset Boulevard
1997 Variety Club Award for Best Actor in a Musical – Sunset Boulevard
Other Nominations:
2012 People’s Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Actor
2010 MTV Movie Awards for Best Fight - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
2010 People’s Choice Awards for Favorite Movie Actor
2010 People’s Choice Awards for Favorite On-Screen Team - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
2010 SFX Awards for Best Actor - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Class Programs - 81st Academy Awards
2009 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Drama Actor - Australia
2009 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Hissy Fit - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
2009 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Movie Rumble - X-Men Origins: Wolverine
2007 Australian Film Institute for Best Actor - The Prestige
2007 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films for Best Actor - The Fountain
2006 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Liplock - X-Men: The Last Stand
2006 Teen Choice Awards for Choice Actor - X-Men: The Last Stand
2006 Green Room Award for Best Male Artist in a Leading Role – The Boy from Oz
2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program – 59th Annual Tony Awards Ceremonies
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