Hugh Jackman has one of the best reputations in Hollywood and on Broadway. You’ll struggle to find anyone (except perhaps Ryan Reynolds) saying anything negative about him, and he often goes out of his way to praise his fellow cast members, crew, and anyone who he feels is deserving of recognition.
However, even he admits that he’s not above being a prima donna. In a new interview with The Guardian he discusses his career, the recent death of his father, and his impending arrival in the MCU as Wolverine in Deadpool 3. Along the way, he’s asked about the perception that he’s the nicest man in the industry, and confesses that he doesn’t feel like he has a spotless record:
“I’m not always nice. I’ve had my moments on set, for sure, when I haven’t been nice. And I’ve behaved sometimes on set where I’ve yelled a bit or done something where I’ve been angry that I’m not proud of.”
Even so, for the most part, Jackman is clearly a pleasure to work with, and credits his father for teaching him to treat people with kindness and patience:
“I had a great example, particularly from my father, of always trying to be respectful. Everyone is trying their hardest. And my experience is if you turn up, you give everything, you act respectfully, then that’s generally what you get from other people.”
Jackman will next appear in The Son (in theaters Jan 20), a drama adapted from Florian Zeller’s stage play of the same name in which he plays a workaholic dad struggling to help his depressed son.
Beyond that, all eyes are on his unexpected return to the Marvel Universe. Jackman had been adamant that Logan was the swansong for his Wolverine, though he was convinced to return for Deadpool 3 as “I get to punch the s**t out of Ryan Reynolds every day.”
It remains to be seen whether Jackman will establish himself as the MCU’s Wolverine in future movies, or if they’ll eventually recast for the eventual X-Men reboot. However it goes down we’re just glad he’s back, as there’s nobody else out there we want to see popping the claws anytime soon.
Deadpool 3 is scheduled for release on Nov. 24, 2024.