Hugh Jackman explains why Wolverine had to break out of the 'X-Men' pack

May 2, 4:45 PMCelebrity Q&A ExaminerCarla Hay

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Hugh Jackman in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"

Australian actor Hugh Jackman has been on a whirlwind publicity tour for his blockbuster movie "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," an "X-Men" spinoff/prequel that tells the back story of his Wolverine character, a half-man, half-wolf mutant with superhero powers. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" shows how the Wolverine character discovered his powers, how he first used them and what led to him becoming the bitter enemy of his half-brother, Victor Creed (a.k.a. Sabretooth, played by Liev Schreiber), who is also a mutant.

At an April 2009 press conference in Rome, Jackman opened up about how he felt about the Internet leak of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (a leak that Wolverine made headlines), whether or not he would let his kids watch the movie, and what his son like to do to the giant blow-up Wolverine figure that Jackman has at his house.

What did you think about "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" being leaked on the Internet, and do you think that leak will negatively affect the movie’s box-office sales?

There was no doubt, at the time, it was heartbreaking. I remember when it happened, being in the studio, and people were just working 24 hours a day, literally not sleeping for days on end. So [there were] people involved working so hard to finish the film, and of course, you are in the industry, so you understand what happens in those months …

The version of the movie that was leaked was a very old version of the movie. So, in that [sense] was it was heartbreaking. I think we moved on really quickly. I’m not involved with the investigation particularly; of course, I support it, and I’m sure that person will be found.

The most heartening thing about the entire episode was the unequivocal support from the online community. They were incredibly, immediately supportive. They condemned the [bootleg] action and any follow-up to that, [and the support was] from at least 95 percent of the sites. As someone not just involved in "Wolverine" but someone involved in the film industry in general, I think that was a watershed moments and something we’re grateful for. I’m sure the fans of this movie and movies in general understand that these big, summer blockbusters are made for the big screen and will want to see that and will turn up.

I’m the worst person to ask about box office. I don’t know about that stuff. I prefer not to know. I just hope that fans of the movie series enjoy it. We worked very hard on it, put our hearts into it. And we’ll see. At the beginning of May, we’ll all know.

Hugh Jackman in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"

Did any famous movie characters inspire your portrayal of Wolverine? And how different will Wolverine be in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," compared to the other "X-Men" movies?

When I first was playing the role, and trying to assimilate the role, and getting used to the "X-Men" universe, it seemed to me that Wolverine was Dirty Harry, Mad Max and the Man With No Name. He’s a screen archetype that has been played out in many forms over the years. He’s a good guy, but he’s not a nice guy. He’s got rough edges, and he’s ultimately a cool character.

As I sit next to an Academy Award-winning director, Gavin Hood, one thing that was so important to me — and we talked about in our very first meeting in Los Angeles — I didn’t want there to be any complacency in the way I played the role. I wanted to be pushed further than I’d been. It was very important to me to have a director like Gavin who understood performance and subtlety and the ability to shape one character’s arc as the center of the movie, be we were going from [the previous] "X-Men" [movies], where there were many characters.

There were many times when we were filming when I felt a very familiar arm around my shoulder after take one. And it would be Gavin going, "Hugh, my friend. Let’s go again. That’s not good enough" … And I had a lot more to play with, because in the "X-Men" movies, [Wolverine] is a character who didn’t know his past. We were basically making a movie where we were filling in all the dots and finding out his origins. It was, in a way, the most fun and challenging time I’ve had — which seems strange, after doing it for 10 years, but that’s the truth.

Hugh Jackman in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"

What do you say to skeptics who think Wolverine doesn’t need an entire movie and this is your excuse to get more screen time?

I’m smiling, because there’s not an actor out there who doesn’t want more screen time for themselves. But the truth is, I think the "X-Men" universe dealt with big, large things. It was the brotherhood versus the X-Men, the idea of a cure [for being a mutant], a big world aspect. I think Wolverine, to be honest, has been a very, very popular character in the comic books. I know he’s one of the most popular. Although when we presented the trailer, and Gambit came on screen, there was a massive, massive cheer for Gambit. [He says jokingly] Maybe there’s a little jealousy there.

But look, [Wolverine’s] very close to my heart, and he was very close to the ensemble. And he did become from the first movie, if you look at it, he was a mutant, but he was an outsider. He was the audience’s avenue into the [mutant] world. And that’s how Bryan Singer [who directed the first two "X-Men" movies] positioned [Wolverine].

So in a way, coming to the [mutant] world with suits and extra powers, it was easier to come to me, to become that protagonist. I understood the story device, the writing device where Wolverine would play that. I was not behind any of that. In fact, when they started filming [the first "X-Men" movie], I wasn’t even cast.

Personally, I always felt that there was enough in that character, enough three-dimensionality, which was always there for people to use, to be honest. There was enough that people related to, that people of different ages could relate to in a different way to justify doing a whole movie [around Wolverine]. And there was so much unknown about him, so much mystery, that it was really exciting to go back to the origins and fill in all those gaps.

I mean, personally, I was always very excited by the Japanese saga of Wolverine, and something I wouldn’t mind doing in the future. But I think we needed to … and Gavin convinced me that if you want people to understand the character, you have to understand the origins.

Hugh Jackman and Liev Schreiber in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"

How do you feel about the trend of all these comic-book movies that have a darker tone than the comic-book movies that were made 30 or more years ago? And are you going to be in any of the other "X-Men" spinoff movies?

If you go back to [2000’s] "X-Men," with Bryan Singer, he sort of rewrote the book on how these movies are made, treated them a little more seriously, had something to say. However, these movies need to be fun and entertaining. It’s a very, very difficult balance to get. If there was ever a question of what audiences want: Yes, to be entertained but also to think and feel, I think that questions was answered with "The Dark Knight," which was a great movie and of course was very commercially successful. I think it’s terrific that you can make a summer movie now that is not just a popcorn movie. It’s a movie that makes you think, makes you feel; you can relate to it. You can cheer and yell and also have a great time. It’s a difficult balance, and one that I think Gavin has done an amazing job with.

As for the other [upcoming] "X-Men" movies, I’m not involved in any of the others. That’s probably a question for somebody at Fox [the movie studio behind the "X-Men" film series], but I know there are some other scripts out there and other ways they’d like to go. There are so many great characters. I think it’s worth remembering that Wolverine was the very first anti-hero that was ever written into comic books. He’s been, for 40 or 50 years, one of the most popular. So people want the ambiguity. That message has been there for a long time, and I think Hollywood has caught up to that.

Do you want to work with any Italian producers?

Yes, please! Any reason to have me back here would be fantastic. I’m very good friends with Gabriele Muccino. We speak a lot. I’m always looking to do things with him. Please put my name out there to any other producers. It would be fantastic. My wife speaks Italian. It would be very good for our marriage, too [to work in Italy]. It’s all good news for me.

Hugh Jackman and Taylor Kitsch in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"

There’s a lot of violent scenes in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which is rated PG-13. Would you let your kids watch this movie, and do you think it’s appropriate for kids under the age of 13?

It’s a good question, because I’ve been approached by many parents of 4-year-olds who see the movie. I have a 3-year-old and an almost 9-year-old, and I get asked a lot if they’ve seen the movie. I think I’d let my 9-year-old see the movie — I’ve talked about that with my wife. But it’s slightly problematic for me, because my son [the older child] — like all kids — is sometimes a little rough with his sister. I’m like, "Oscar, you have to be more gentle with your sister. Please don’t hit her, don’t push her." I figure if I press play on that movie, and he watches his dad slicing people’s heads off, it’s a little undermining as a parent.

But I think, realistically, this movie, for kids, [they] can see it and they can relate in their way. I don’t want it to seem like I’m encouraging 3-year-olds to see a PG-13 movie. I won’t be taking my 3-year-old to see it. But I’ve watched a little bit with my son — little scenes — and I see what he picks up, the things he enjoys. [He] skips over the little bit of the ambiguity here and there. But the movie is not rated by me, and I think you have to take that advice seriously.

But I have a little story … The great thing about being Wolverine is in "X-Men 2," they had merchandise, and I have every type of Wolverine doll imaginable. My son has ripped the heads off of half of them when he doesn’t like me, when he’s mad with me. And there’s a blow-up punching bag of Wolverine, with my face on it. And so I duly blew it up and I put it in my son’s room. And whenever I send him to his room, I hear him waling on that thing. [Jackman growls and makes punching gestures.] I think it’s what every father or parent should have: a punching bag with their face on it. And every kid should be able to just wail on it.

What was the most difficult scene in the movie for you to film?

The most difficult scene — without a doubt, I remember it was a windy day, so it made it technically difficult — as I’m going along on the Humvee and I got blown into the air and I had to slice off the rotor of the helicopter and land on top of the helicopter …

The scene in the tank was very difficult, very uncomfortable. Going backwards in the water — I don’t know how long we were there, a couple of days — and locked underneath, it was very technical. I had my eyes wide open underneath, but Gavin said, "It looks like your eyes are shut."

Going back to your friendship with Gabriele Muccino, how did you meet him and what movie project would you like to do with him?

I met Gabriele [when] he had just finished making that film ["The Pursuit of Happyness"] with Will [Smith], and we wanted [Gabriele] to do the pilot of "Viva Laughlin," which he did. The show was picked up and was quite spectacularly dumped after two or three episodes on air. Not that it was his fault. It just wasn’t a success. As my wife says, "If you’re going to fail, you might as well fail spectacularly."

But Gabriele is a fantastic director. I just sent another script to him today. But it’s a good point: How did I let him go to Will Smith? [He says jokingly] Who is this Will Smith guy anyway? I heard he’s quite talented, but I would’ve thought that [Gabriele] would answer my calls first. I’m going to bring it up with Gabriele.