Why Hugh Jackman Was Never The Same After X-Men
Hugh Jackman's life was irrevocably changed the moment he took on the role of James "Logan" Howlett aka Wolverine in 20th Century Fox's 2000 superhero film "X-Men." The Australian star is the only actor to have ever played the iconic comic book character in live-action (bar Troye Sivan, who plays his younger version in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"). But nobody could ever have predicted that Jackman would end up carrying that mantle for over two decades. Jackman also has a reputation for being one of the nicest, most mild-tempered guys in Hollywood, which makes it all the more impressive that he's played the snarly, oftentimes savage, adamantium-clawed mutant anti-hero for so long.
Jackman's turn in 2024's "Deadpool & Wolverine" alongside Ryan Reynolds marks the 10th time he's played the character on the big screen. Part of Jackman's enduring appeal is his ability to effortlessly portray Wolverine's darker side and his softer side in one fell swoop. This has served him well throughout the course of his busy career. Fans have watched the versatile actor showcase his acting prowess in a variety of different roles, as Jackman has graced the silver screen in movies like "Australia," "Prisoners," and "The Greatest Showman," and on Broadway in productions such as "The Boy From Oz" and "The Music Man."
Of course, Jackman's life could have turned out pretty differently if he hadn't been cast as Wolverine first. Keep reading for a deep dive into all the ways "X-Men" changed Hugh Jackman's life and why he was never the same after.
Hugh Jackman thought he had no chance of playing Wolverine
"X-Men" was almost a very different movie. For one thing, Hugh Jackman nearly didn't appear in it, as he was not the first or even second choice for Wolverine. Initially, Mel Gibson's name was thrown around, but director Bryan Singer actually hoped Russell Crowe would play the part of the indomitable loner-turned-hero. However, the "Gladiator" alum passed because he didn't think he was the right fit for the role and recommended Jackman in his stead. This recommendation may have gotten Jackman in the door, but he still thought he didn't have a chance of being in the franchise because Dougray Scott was then 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 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. "It was like this hail Mary to begin with," he said of the experience. But in spite of the factors working against him like his height (he's almost a foot taller than Wolverine is described in the comics), Jackman's audition lasted all of 20 seconds and he got the role.
X-Men catapulted Jackman into the spotlight
Everybody knows the name Hugh Jackman, and that's inarguably thanks to "X-Men." Whether you know him from the superhero franchise or have seen him shine in other notable roles, such as Jean Valjean in "Les Misérables," "X-Men" is the film that catapulted him into the spotlight. The blockbuster also had a huge impact on bringing the superhero genre into the mainstream, though that was a shock to many. "I had no idea what would happen to the film at all — the success of it — no one knew that," Jackman said on "The Peter Attia Drive Podcast."
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. "A mate of mine said to me — who was quite high up in the business — he said, 'The word on the street is not good about the movie. No one watches comic book movies. They're dead. That thing's gone forever. Book another movie before it comes out,'" Jackman said on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." Thankfully, Jackman gave his all to the movie knowing the producers were also taking a chance on him, and it paid off.
Charles Xavier actor Patrick Stewart said he saw Jackman's potential immediately. He felt captivated by the Aussie after meeting him on set during his audition. "We were all rooting for him; he had that intangible star quality," Stewart recalled in his autobiography "Making It So: A Memoir" (via SlashFilm). Jackman's career since the movie's release proves Stewart's instincts were dead on.
Transitioning from theater to film was a lonely process
At its core, "X-Men" is an ensemble film that weaves together the stories of many characters, but viewers are largely introduced to the mutant world through Wolverine's eyes. As an outsider, he stands alone from the other characters for most of the film, which is a feeling Hugh Jackman can relate to. During his interview on "The Peter Attia Drive Podcast," Jackman recalled his experience of being on the periphery looking in.
Jackman came 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 and the fact that he was surrounded by A-list stars and industry veterans. "I just don't think I found my feet for a while," Jackman said. "I came from the theater and we rehearsed, let's work it out together, and it just wasn't that and I felt very much on the outside," Jackman said. He later revealed that it took years before he felt fully comfortable on a film set, but that discomfort seems to have served him well on the set of "X-Men" because it made him feel even closer to his loner character. Eventually things started to turn around, too, and as he settled into playing Wolverine, he also fell into more of a rhythm with his co-stars, whom he now happily calls friends.
Hugh Jackman learned a lot from his character
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 his character, Wolverine. Jackman said he enjoys the experience of embodying a character who was so wholly different from himself and even finds opportunities to learn from Logan. "With Wolverine, I felt at the beginning like he was teaching me — this is going to sound weird — because I'm a people pleaser and he's the opposite, right? He almost, to his own detriment, is an outsider, I'm desperate to be an insider. ... So playing someone who was the opposite for me was great for me, so kind of relieving and fun," Jackman explained on "The Peter Attia Drive Podcast."
Wolverine may not be the most stable guy to take all your life lessons from, but learning not to overvalue the opinions of others and how to relax in your own skin is certainly a positive thing. Over the years, Jackman has regularly returned to his "X-Men" character, and he explained that there's another of Logan's personality traits he's happy to take on when necessary. "I'm a pretty nice guy, but if you back me into a corner, you're gonna see the Wolverine in me," he admitted on the podcast.
He found mentors in Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart
When Hugh Jackman eventually found his feet on the set of "X-Men," he formed a particularly close bond with two of his co-stars: Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. He found the veteran actors to be hugely supportive and inspirational as they helped mentor and guide him through the early days of his career and subsequent fame.
McKellen was the first to offer Jackman an important piece of acting advice that's always stuck with him. While speaking to the Magneto actor on "The Graham Norton Show," Jackman said, "I was very nervous on that first film. I started three weeks in. It was my first movie. And there was a lot going on and there was a lot of people. And I remember you pulling me aside and saying, 'This at times is going to feel uncomfortable. It's going to feel overwhelming. But you're in good hands, and everything's going to be okay.'" 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 has stuck with him, Jackman told The Hollywood Reporter. Stewart taught him to always make time for yourself first thing in the morning before work. This is something he tries to live by, so you won't catch Hugh Jackman reading the news or checking his emails the moment he wakes up. Instead, he prefers to sit and read with a cup of coffee while his wife reads nearby with a cup of tea.
Hugh Jackman learned the importance of discipline on the set of X-Men
Another thing that helped Hugh Jackman settle in on the set of "X-Men" was learning the importance of discipline when it came to putting in the work that was needed to fully round out his character. This was something he didn't quite get at first. During his interview on "The Peter Attia Drive Podcast," Jackman recalled venting to his then-wife Deborra-Lee Furness that he felt humiliated that things weren't going well and that he thought he was going to be fired. "I remember spending a weekend talking to Deb," he said, "and she actually said to me, she goes, 'Umm, babe, I don't actually think you've done enough work.'"
It took a minute for Jackman to take in what she said, but those words ultimately flipped a switch in him and he went back to set with a brand new attitude. "Instead of trying to make scenes work, I just ad-libbed, like the first scene I did that day," he said. "I ad-libbed everything. I ad-libbed, I rewrote it, I did everything. ... I just took over ... because I felt like I was fighting for my life." Taking this on board, along with the advice he received from Ian McKellen, Jackman did everything he could to improve his performance. This included watching Mike Tyson videos to develop Wolverine's instinctive and brutal fighting style. This discipline served him in the long run too as he fleshed out his character for future films — and of course, he's continued to ad-lib at every opportunity.
He has a ritual that helps him get into character
While working on "X-Men," Hugh Jackman accidentally stumbled upon a very interesting but effective way to get into character; taking ice cold showers every day before filming. Explaining how he discovered this, Jackman said (via FandomWire), "My wife was asleep, it's, like, 5 o'clock in the morning and there's no hot water, so my hair was full of the hairspray from the day before and I had to take a shower. [It was] freezing cold water, and I was so pissed. A cold shower in the middle of a Toronto winter and I had to be under there for two minutes."
It turns out there's nothing like a freezing shower in the middle of winter to light a fire underneath you, and Jackman channeled this energy into his character. Taking those icy showers became Jackman's Wolverine ritual and something he's done while filming every movie in the franchise.
Jackman has totally transformed his physique
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, but fans of the movie can agree he did a pretty good job. Upon each return to the superhero franchise, Jackman has packed on more and more muscle, but it can be a challenge, as his natural body type is skinny. And, as a dancer, Jackman finds that it doesn't serve him to have Wolverine's biceps when he's not filming, so his body type changes a lot.
His process for bulking up quickly to play Wolverine is something he's been honing for a long time. "Over the years, I've got smarter with it," he explained during an interview with Collider. Jackman typically gets ripped to play Wolverine by hitting the gym — twice a day, six times a week to be exact. 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 celebs, such as Dwayne Johnson and his famous workout regime.
Diet also plays a big part in transforming Jackman's physique, and when he's trying to bulk up, Jackman needs to increase his calorie intake. While filming 2017's "Logan," he said he was consuming up to 8,000 calories per day — along with all of that physical training.
After X-Men, Hugh Jackman could have his pick of movie roles
Not only was "X-Men" a successful film in its own right, but it also launched a multi-billion dollar movie franchise and marked the start of a successful career for Hugh Jackman. After showcasing his acting prowess, stunning physique, and talents as leading-man in the 2000 movie, the job offers started pouring in.
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 he never felt like he was being typecast by playing Wolverine. "I've never felt trapped," he said, per El País. "There was a little period, in 2003 or 2004, I think, when I remember, I was like, 'Oh, I'm only getting action films.' It was always a surprise to me, just like the musicals were a surprise." Instead, he just went with the flow during the first decade of his movie career before he was able to pick and choose the roles he wanted. "I've always thrived on the variety, but I'm more instinctive now about my choices," Jackman explained.
He had the opportunity to do whatever he wanted and take on the roles that were interesting to him. This included a few musical movies like "Les Misérables" and "The Greatest Showman." He said the former in particular was a dream role, and it saw him share the screen with some of the best performers in Hollywood. But of course, he always found his way back to Wolverine.
He's incredibly protective of Wolverine
Part of what makes Hugh Jackman so convincing in the role of Wolverine is how much he cares about the character. Although he wasn't deeply familiar with Wolverine's history in the comics prior to being cast in "X-Men," as he told Slashfilm, he did do a lot of research once he was cast in the role and has developed a great affinity for Logan the longer he's played him.
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 or exploring his backstory and motivations in a different way. Jackman got the chance to do this as an executive producer on "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" — a frustrating experience he is still upset about — and the mystery of Logan's past continued to unravel in "The Wolverine." For the actor, the samurai story of "The Wolverine" was years in the making. "I waited in a way 12 years for this chapter in this saga, for this samurai story, from the very first week I had on [the first 'X-Men.'] I was reading this comic and Lauren Shuler Donner and I were saying, one day hopefully we get to do this story," Jackman told Collider.
These standalone Wolverine movies culminated in 2017's "Logan." On "The Peter Attia Drive Podcast," Jackman recalled fighting for the movie's title as executives were hesitant to move away from the Wolverine branding. "I said we gotta call it 'Logan' because this actually about more the human being than superhero," he told Attia. Jackman and writer and director James Mangold soon won that battle — and the movie is all the better for it.
Wolverine became the role of a lifetime, literally
Hugh Jackman's adult life has been built around Wolverine. "This character is very much the foundation, the spine of my career," the actor said to SlashFilm. Crucially, the role afforded him financial security early in his career. Jackman earned $500,000 for his debut in "X-Men," though his salary has risen considerably with every outing since. He's earned in excess of $100 million from playing Wolverine — this figure makes up a considerable chunk of his $180 million net worth, which may not be as hefty had it not been for this role in the first place.
Now, he's been the guardian of the Marvel character for the best part of a quarter of a century. Reflecting on the journey during his appearance on "The Peter Attia Drive Podcast," he said, "I just still pinch myself that I got to play such a great role."
Although "Logan" was meant to be Jackman's swan song as Wolverine, the actor evidently still believes there are more stories to be told about his character, hence his role in "Deadpool & Wolverine" alongside Ryan Reynolds' titular anti-hero. Wolverine has gone through a huge transformation and isn't the same character viewers remember, but Jackman is back nonetheless. This role marks a new phase in the actor's career, as rumors even suggest Jackman will appear in the forthcoming "Avengers: Secret Wars." Whether he does or not remains to be seen, but 10 movies over 24 years is quite the legacy for Hugh Jackman's Wolverine.