Multi-topic interviews

[jo]

If he does a classical play with Trevor Nunn, it will likely be staged in London.

Just my gut feeling


Jo

[mamaleh]

Could be. While Nunn has staged numerous plays and musicals in New York, the last Shakespeare he did in NY was MUCH ADO in the '80s.

So if Hugh doesn't want a long separation (even for a limited run) from his family, then do you think the vehicle will be in NY and of the non-classical mold? Anybody's guess.

Ellen

[jo]

Reposted from the Wolverine BluRay/DVD thread.



Hugh was in a live chat session on Twitter, re the release of The Wolverine BluRay/DVD

Btw, for a few minutes, the chat was on the current list of worldwide twitter trends, which proves Wolverine has a real global fanbase!

iTunes Movies‏@itunesmovies16m
What originally drew you to the part of Wolverine in the first X-Men Movie? #AskHughJackman

Hugh Jackman‏@realhughjackman15m
.@itunesmovies Honestly, I needed the job! I didn't even know what a was. But, I’m a fast learner! #AskHughJackman



iTunes Movies‏@itunesmovies6m
What's next for Wolverine? #AskHughJackman

Hugh Jackman‏@realhughjackman4m
.@itunesmovies I cant say or I'll get in a lot of trouble. But if you watch to the end of The Wovlerine there's a little something from DOFP



iTunes Movies‏@itunesmovies9m
What's the biggest thing you have in common with Wolverine? #AskHughJackman
Reply

Hugh Jackman‏@realhughjackman7m
.@itunesmovies Absolutely nothing! For me after all these years he's like an old friend. #AskHughJackman



iTunes Movies‏@itunesmovies14m
How do you prepare for the character of Wolverine before each new movie? #AskHughJackman

Hugh Jackman‏@realhughjackman10m
.@itunesmovies I try to stay in good shape. 3 months before shooting I workout 3hrs a day & eat about 5-6 thousand calories between 10 &6am.



iTunes Movies‏@itunesmovies18m
You've said that this was the Wolverine movie you've been waiting to deliver. What about it did you love?

Hugh Jackman‏@realhughjackman16m
.@itunesmovies This one stands alone. That's why we called it THE Wolverine. Also, working with Jim Mangold again. Fantastic director.




iTunes Movies‏@itunesmovies7m
You've portrayed a wide range of characters. What's your favorite type of character to portray? #AskHughJackman
Reply


Hugh Jackman‏@realhughjackman2m
.@itunesmovies I'd love to do a Western.




iTunes Movies‏@itunesmovies7m
You've portrayed a wide range of characters. What's your favorite type of character to portray? #AskHughJackman


Hugh Jackman‏@realhughjackman2m
.@itunesmovies I dont have a favorite. I like to switch it up. When I was promoting Les Mis, I was shooting Prisoners and then DOFP...




iTunes Movies‏@itunesmovies6m
We love to see you act on stage, too. Which performance interest came first: film or stage? #AskHughJackman

Hugh Jackman‏@realhughjackman3m
.@itunesmovies Theatre came first. I'm looking at a few projects that may bring me back to theatre soon. #AskHughJackman




iTunes Movies‏@itunesmovies4m
What's next for @realhughjackman? #AskHughJackman


Hugh Jackman‏@realhughjackman6s
.@itunesmovies Im taking time off 2 b w/my family. School pick-up &soccer practice. Shooting a new film"Chappie"in SouthAfrica after new yr

*Maybe he can work out for UNBOUND CAPTIVES to be greenlit? I think Madeleine Stowe may have to give up her dreams of helming it - let her original script be her way of being recognized for the merit of the project.

*Hugh mentions that he is looking at " a few projects " for the theatre - not just a couple. Also, he did not reply to a question re the status of Houdini.


Jo

[njr]

Nov 19, 2013 18:52:29 GMT -5 jo said:

*Hugh mentions that he is looking at " a few projects " for the theatre - not just a couple. Also, he did not reply to a question re the status of Houdini.


Jo

That was the question I asked!

Nancy

[luzie]

Nov 19, 2013 19:32:38 GMT -5 njr said:

Nov 19, 2013 18:52:29 GMT -5 jo said:

*Hugh mentions that he is looking at " a few projects " for the theatre - not just a couple. Also, he did not reply to a question re the status of Houdini.


Jo

That was the question I asked!

Nancy

It was a chat for The Wolverine DVD/Blu-Ray release - with some general questions too - and not for your "Houdini"!   It doesn't help, if you ask him the same question every week. When he knows more and wants to tell it, he will say it, but not yet.

[mamaleh]

Some might argue that Hugh has indeed does a "western," although it was technically a "northern" (AUSTRALIA). But I do hope he gets the opportunity to do a classic American-style western.

Ellen

[Jamie]

Nov 20, 2013 8:51:07 GMT -5 mamaleh said:

Some might argue that Hugh has indeed does a "western," although it was technically a "northern" (AUSTRALIA). But I do hope he gets the opportunity to do a classic American-style western.

Ellen

I always felt Australia would have been better if it had concentrated on Drover's life as that period between WW I and WW II was so dramatic historically for Australia and it would be a "Western" that no one had ever seen unless you want to count something silly such as Quigley Down Under.

[jo]

Do you remember the song that Elton John wrote about THE DROVER, which unfortunately was relegated to second spot ( and therefore did not qualify for an Academy Award nomination, as that is given to only the first song after the credits)? It focused on the history of The Drover, which could have been the more compelling story, instead of the screenplay that Baz decided to pursue. It could have covered the period from the first world war, when the young drover first went to war and lost his first wife...to the second world war when he found a new love again. The canvass of the Australian landscape could have served as the window to that part of the world, which included the story of the descendants of the early settlers and the original people of the land. It would have drawn a parallel to the history of the settling of the American west, with the early colonial settlers and the American Indians

I think Baz wanted to paint an overall landscape of a slice of history of Australia but he had played with too many subplots of the screenplay.

But many elements of the character of a western saga seemed to be in "Australia" - and maybe Hugh liked the genre for storytelling, with an accent on the action side. I think he wants the variety and he feels very much at home with action movies. I doubt that he would like to do indie-type dramas all the time.


Jo

[Jamie]

Nov 20, 2013 10:32:55 GMT -5 jo said:

Do you remember the song that Elton John wrote about THE DROVER, which unfortunately was relegated to second spot ( and therefore did not qualify for an Academy Award nomination, as that is given to only the first song after the credits)? It focused on the history of The Drover, which could have been the more compelling story, instead of the screenplay that Baz decided to pursue. It could have covered the period from the first world war, when the young drover first went to war and lost his first wife...to the second world war when he found a new love again. The canvass of the Australian landscape could have served as the window to that part of the world, which included the story of the descendants of the early settlers and the original people of the land. It would have drawn a parallel to the history of the settling of the American west, with the early colonial settlers and the American Indians

I think Baz wanted to paint an overall landscape of a slice of history of Australia but he had played with too many subplots of the screenplay.

But many elements of the character of a western saga seemed to be in "Australia" - and maybe Hugh liked the genre for storytelling, with an accent on the action side. I think he wants the variety and he feels very much at home with action movies. I doubt that he would like to do indie-type dramas all the time.


Jo

I once joked that Hugh could have done a sort of "Little Big Man" version of Drover from his birth to standing in the audience for the Centennial celebration while Peter Allen performed on stage. He could have played both the young to middle aged Drover, aged with make up to the 105 version and then became Peter for the big event.

On the serious side, the aboriginal massacres, living through The Stolen Generation (depicted in Rabbit Proof Fence). The clash of cultures among the convict descendants, English aristocracy, aboriginal people, and the amalgam that finally became the Australian character with the Drover as the icon representing or being involved with them all would make one hell of a story. It's a shame that Australia didn't tell it.

[JH4HJ]

Nothing new, really, but Hugh and Deb look great.



His good manners and patience are extraordinary. I could not spot any OZalots in this one...



Even if I had an iPad, which I don't, I'm quite sure I could not do this...

[ruby]

His good manners and patience are extraordinary. I could not spot any OZalots in this one...




[/quote]

Look again. Ozalot present.

[girlfromrio]

Because it's always fun to watch interaction between the two "Prisoners" stars--

movies.cosmicbooknews.com/content/hugh-jackman-jokes-jake-gyllenhaal-role-batman-vs-superman-video-stars-weigh

[jo]

An interview with the UK's The Independent --

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/hugh-jackman-wolverine-has-not-eclipsed-my-career-i-could-still-play-any-character-9075580.html

Hugh Jackman: Wolverine has not eclipsed my career- I could still play any character


Hugh Jackman speaks to Stephen Applebaum about the secrets to a long showbiz marriage, and why he still feels guilty about money


Stephen Applebaum
Tuesday 21 January 2014




Do you find it frustrating when people say Wolverine has overshadowed your career given your range of work on stage and screen?



“Not really, because if I want to play a certain character I could. But I'm surprised pretty much by everything that has happened in my career.

“I was hoping to pay the rent as an actor one day and before I was an actor I was acting at the amateur musical society. I never thought I would make a career out of it. So if it stopped tomorrow I would probably go back to the amateur musical society.

“I'm someone who always tries to remember how lucky he is. And even if it's only Wolverine, it's pretty good.”



Were you worried when reports came out claiming you were being offered huge sums to do four more Wolverine films?

“Yeah, because obviously it is bull***t. It was the National Enquirer. I couldn't believe anyone picked that up. Apart from the first movie, for which I had to sign a two-picture deal, I've never done more than one at a time.

“And now what happens is the IRS and every taxation company goes, “Hang on, you didn't declare $100 million. So where are you hiding it?"



You recently received some lifetime achievement awards, are you still looking forward rather than back?

“Sometimes I say to my wife that maybe they're giving them to me as in, 'Please stop. That's enough of your lifetime. If we give you this, will you just go away?'

“I haven't told anyone this before but when I was auditioning I had this superstition that you can't ever repeat a monologue that you've done, because I was afraid that I would just do it as I always did it.

“It's tempting, sometimes, to fall back on the things you know you can do or the things you know have been successful, but you've got to keep trying to do different things and risk failing. Hey, look at Movie 43.”



I'd rather not

“Or don't [laughs]. I ran into one of the producers a little while ago and he said, 'Mate, I've got two things to say. I'm sorry. And, I'm sorry.'”



It was just a day of your life

“It was two days. With Kate Winslet with balls hangingfrom her neck. It wasn't that bad.”



Your Prisoners character, Keller Dover, is a pretty tormented guy. Was he tough to play?

“I don't stay in character but I can't say I was fully relaxed at the end of a day. It's a weird thing. Acting is like the greatest privilege: you get to inhabit lives and you get to touch real emotions, and at the end of the day you're calm, like you've had a great bath.”



He's driven mad by his daughter's abduction. Did having kids yourself mean you were able to go deeper into the character?

“Probably. I always like to think as an actor, arrogantly, that you can play anything. But just reading the script, I felt it in the pit of my stomach.”



You have said you're not materialistic. What do you do with your money?

“My wife has taught me a lot about money. We didn't have any when we first met. I was at the Royal National Theatre earning £375 a week and we were as happy as we are now.

“Money doesn't make you happy, and I know that. And sometimes I get embarrassed by it and sometimes I feel burdened by it.

“My wife's line is, 'You've got the wrong attitude about money. Money is energy and there's no point trying to save energy. You use it and you give it away.”



You have been married a long time for a showbiz couple. What is the secret?

“I'm almost positive 80 per cent of it is finding the right person. And when you're lucky enough to meet the right person you just know it 100 per cent.

“Like all couples there's strains and there's compromises, but she's honestly the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”



Finally, you've been working with the original X-Men director Bryan Singer on X-Men: Days of Future Past. Is it different playing Wolverine with him than it is with, say, James Mangold, who directed The Wolverine?

“It's always special for me working with Bryan on this character. He gave me that break, he gave me that character, and I can't believe, 14 years later, we're working on it again.

“He's a great friend, and he's a very smart man. I can tell you right now, he has made a great movie. I don't know if it's going to surprise people but I think people are really going to like it.”

Prisoners is released on DVD on February 3

[njr]

They quoted him wrong--what he said was "balls hanging from your neck". Kate Winslett didn't have them on her neck!

Nancy

[jo]

Hugh has returned to Montreal recently to do some pick-up shots for DAYS OF FUTURE PAST. This interview must have taken place then.

canadiens.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=705042

Canadiens Magazine

The Last Word: Hugh Jackman

Tuesday, 18.02.2014 / 2:30 PM / CANADIENS magazine

canadiens.com

He may have achieved A-list level success by bringing Marvel mutant Wolverine to the big screen in the X-Men movie franchise, but Hugh Jackman is more than a buff superhero with an adamantium skeleton and lethal set of claws. An entrepreneur, philanthropist, classically-trained thespian, and one-time People magazine Sexiest Man Alive titleholder, the 45-year-old refuses to be typecast, even when it comes to his sporting preferences. While he loves all things Aussie like any good Sydney-born boy should, Jackman also hides a soft spot for hockey, as we discovered during his recent trip to the Bell Centre.

You may not realize this, but Wolverine has some strong ties to Quebec. His first-ever appearance in the comic world was in a 1974 fight with the Hulk set right here in the province. Knowing you’ve got some French Canadian roots, do you suddenly have a hankering for smoked meat and / or poutine?

HUGH JACKMAN: (laughs) It’s funny you mention that because I just tried poutine at Au Pied de Cochon. It’s one of my favorite restaurants. I actually count the dinner I had there once as the greatest dinner I’ve ever had. We started at 7:00 p.m. and we left at four in the morning. I guess it was a little more than a dinner.

You’ve been in and out of Montreal shooting X-Men: Days of Future Past; what do you like most about the city?

HJ: It’s beautiful here. It’s a great town with great restaurants and it’s relatively easy getting around in this city. You don’t spend hours trying to find yourself. Actors care a lot about their food, and the food here is great. It is a food town. I live in Melbourne in Australia and it’s similar to Montreal. It’s more about food, sports, music and culture.


Jackman recently joined the Canadiens' loyal celebrity fan base during a game at the Bell Centre.


You’re a pretty athletic guy, but Australia isn’t exactly known as a hockey hotbed. Ever been on skates?

HJ: I have, actually. It used to be something people would do at birthday parties. It didn’t go well because my brother slipped and someone skated over his fingers. He needed a lot of stitches; his fingers weren’t quite sliced off, but close. I was actually thinking tonight that if only I had come earlier to Canada, I could have seen this and gone back home and played first string in Australia. I could have gone to the Olympics! (laughs)

Is this your first hockey game? Can we now count you among our loyal celebrity fan base?

HJ: It’s actually the second NHL game I’ve been to. I went to see the Canucks play while we shooting in Vancouver a few years ago. But you can now count me in your fan base. The atmosphere in Montreal is incredible.

Are you a sports fan?

HJ: I love sports. If I would have to pick my favorite, I would say it’s the NFL. I’m a New York Giants fan. I love the NFL, I’m also into basketball. Back home in Australia I follow cricket, Aussie rules, rugby. But hockey is a great sport. I love live sports and that’s why hockey is one of the best sports. The atmosphere at the Bell Centre is about as good as anywhere in the world. When I was sitting down by the glass and the fans were all yelling I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ I couldn’t believe it.

On the toughness scale, how does hockey compare to Aussie rules football?

HJ: This is tougher. At least you’ve got grass in football. Here, everything is hard – even the puck is hard! Aussie rules football is a pretty tough sport; there’s the same kind of taking people out. But these guys go much faster.

Our players have pretty strict training regimens, but it can’t be easy building the body of a superhero; how grueling is it getting into Wolverine shape?

HJ: It’s pretty bad. I’m 45 now, so it gets harder for each movie. I train about three hours per day. I do about two hours in the morning, an hour of cardio and an hour of weights. Then I try to do another session in the afternoon. I can have up to 6,000 calories per day during training.

That’s a Michael Phelps-ian level of caloric intake!

HJ: Yeah, but I heard he was eating pancakes. A stack of pancakes is like 1,000 calories. You have to eat a lot of steamed chicken and broccoli to get 1,000 calories.

You hosted the Academy Awards in 2009. Having seen some of the real-time commentary on Twitter and online during the performances of hosts since, is it fair to say it’s kind of a thankless job?

HJ: I didn’t read one review, thankfully. Literally the first person I saw after the event the next morning said, “I don’t care what the LA Times said, you did a great job.” And I was like, “Wait, what did the LA Times say?” I decided I didn’t want to read any more after that. (laughs)



It’s been 14 years since you first brought Wolverine to the big screen in X-Men. What’s changed the most in your life since Wolvie came into it?

HJ: I have two children now. Career-wise it’s also changed a lot. I think one of the luckiest things that as ever happened to me is that I met my wife before it all happened. I’ve observed friends who are single and in our business it’s hard to meet people. That’s why so many actors date other actors. I love that Deb and I have been through it all together and she’s also been in a lot of movies and been famous, especially in Australia, so she understands. We can just enjoy life together.

You shot part of The Wolverine in Japan. What’s the most exotic location you’ve ever filmed for a shoot?

HJ: Japan is right up there. Tomonura is a beautiful fishing village and it was incredible being there. The South of France for Les Mis was pretty good as well.

How big a thrill is it for you to work alongside fellow Broadway and theater legends like Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart?

HJ: When I went to drama school, there were these classic series of Shakespeare tapes called the Barton tapes and that’s how I knew of Ian McKellen. He and Judy Dench and all of them are on these tapes. They were members in the Royal Shakespeare Company and I followed those tapes like a religion. When I heard I was in a movie with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen I couldn’t believe it; think Pacino and De Niro in Heat and that’s what this is. It’s an absolute thrill.

When you signed on to star in Les Mis, did you have any idea how well-received it would be? What has it done for musical theatre in the US in general?

HJ: Musicals can only have a relatively limited audience. However well you do it, there’s always going to be a big part of the population that will just never get it. As beloved as it is, Phantom of the Opera is the biggest musical of all time, but no one really saw the movie. I would never have known that Les Mis would be that big and I was really proud to be a part of it. We worked really hard on it. It was one of those great surprises.

Do you prefer movies or Broadway?

HJ: Both, really. Right now I’m loving film more than ever, though. I would say honestly that it took me 10 years to feel as comfortable on film as I am on the stage. I grew up on the stage and I studied classical theatre and I kind of have an innate feeling being on stage. Film is a whole different world. It’s very fractured. You very rarely do more than a few minutes at once, so you’re barely acting for more than a few minutes at a time. It’s a lot of stop and starts and it takes a while to get the feeling for it.


What choreography is harder to nail: a fight scene or a dance number?

HJ: Good question. They’re both the same, actually. The best stuntmen are probably good dancers because it’s not only about strength, but choreography and relaxation as well. There’s certainly more injuries in fighting. During X-Men, I did most of my own fighting scenes, but say there’s a scene where my character has to go up on a wire and go through a wall or my head has to smack on the floor, the stuntman can do those!

When People magazine names you the Sexiest Man Alive, it officially guarantees you 365 days of bragging rights. How did you take advantage of the title? Getting business cards printed up, changing your voicemail message…

HJ: Those were the good old days! (laughs) I pretty much did all those things. I carried magazines everywhere I went, left copies on the kids’ bedside table, you know how it is.

Do you ever get angry calls from Paul Hogan for having usurped him as the sexiest Aussie actor of all time?

HJ: (laughs) I did an event with him not that long ago and he had a great line. It was the night before I was nominated for a Golden Globe and he told me: “Mate, if you win tomorrow night at the Golden Globes, you’re a great actor but I want to put it all in perspective. I won a Golden Globe; if I can win one of those, anyone can!”

Catch Hugh in his latest turn as Wolverine in X-Men: Days of Future Past, which hits theatres on May 23, 2014. For real-time updates from the man himself, follow Jackman on Twitter.

This article, written by Shauna Denis, was published in CANADIENS magazine Vol. 28 No. 3.

[jo]

When you signed on to star in Les Mis, did you have any idea how well-received it would be? What has it done for musical theatre in the US in general?

HJ: Musicals can only have a relatively limited audience. However well you do it, there’s always going to be a big part of the population that will just never get it. As beloved as it is, Phantom of the Opera is the biggest musical of all time, but no one really saw the movie. I would never have known that Les Mis would be that big and I was really proud to be a part of it. We worked really hard on it. It was one of those great surprises.

Interesting how he thinks PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is the "biggest' musical of all time ( probably true as it is still running on Broadway, continuously!) but no one really saw the movie. Had Hugh been able to fit that in into his schedule ( it was going to start filming, alongside his commitment to THE BOY FROM OZ)...and had Joel Schumacher been replaced by someone more visionary like Tom Hooper -- would the movie have been a greater success? Hugh being the only likely choice for Les Miserables was a contributing factor in the commercial success of Les Miserables as a film adaptation. Had Hugh not been on Broadway in TBFO, he would not likely have gained the prominence as a musical theatre actor which led to his casting as Valjean. Perhaps PHANTOM would have been better received with Hugh as the Phantom because he does have a much greater screen presence and true musical theatre singing chops compared to Gerard Butler, and a much larger fanbase ( his earlier movies - XMEN and KATE AND LEOPOLD appealed to a wider fanbase).

Maybe Hugh also wanted to do the Phantom role ( of which he did have a taste of in SNL, no matter that it was a parody) as much as he did want the Valjean role. The Phantom was the central character in the entire musical ( and with such glorious arias as MUSIC OF THE NIGHT, ANGEL OF MUSIC, and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA), with impressive acting requirements, whereas Valjean had to take a backseat in a big part of the second act of Les Miserables.

Also, an earlier team-up with Anne Hathaway ( who was allegedly offered the role of Christine) would have increased the dramatic appeal of the movie adaptation.

What could have been smiley-signs002

Jo

[jo]

Do you prefer movies or Broadway?

HJ: Both, really. Right now I’m loving film more than ever, though. I would say honestly that it took me 10 years to feel as comfortable on film as I am on the stage. I grew up on the stage and I studied classical theatre and I kind of have an innate feeling being on stage. Film is a whole different world. It’s very fractured. You very rarely do more than a few minutes at once, so you’re barely acting for more than a few minutes at a time. It’s a lot of stop and starts and it takes a while to get the feeling for it.

It must have been very difficult to film LES MISERABLES, with the nature of filming being fractured, as the characters had to sing both songs and dialogs. One must have to concentrate very well to make sure the dramatic goals are met, while starting, stopping, and starting all over again. We have heard that Hugh had to sing BRING HIM HOME 14 times, Russell had to sing STARS 28 times, Eddie had to sing EMPTY CHAIRS AT EMPTY TABLES some 20 or so times and Anne had to sing I DREAMED A DREAM much less the number of the others but still more than just once or twice. To be able to put in the right dramatic chops while singing the songs/dialogs...and to be interrupted and asked to sing it again and again -- that must have been really difficult.

Live singing was the only to make it more realistic. One must watch that the storytelling and character portraits are kept within artistic boundaries, while making sure the notes are within the composer's intent.

No wonder Hugh calls it the role of a lifetime. The effort he invested into the role and the results really deserved the Oscar! He was not mimicking anyone ( not even Colm in his original staging of the musical) nor was the nature of filmmaking easy to deliver the long monologues/soliloquys or the even the long drawn-out scenes ( with its changes in moods) such as the finale. I wonder if politics and sentimentality had not been factors in the Oscar-voting, if Hugh's Valjean would have been the triumphant winner!

I remember what Russell had to say when he said he voted for Hugh Jackman for Oscar Best Actor -- he said it was due to "the character arc and the degree of difficulty". Russell must have been very aware and awed by what Hugh had to do to give justice to the role!

Jo

[jo]

When you signed on to star in Les Mis, did you have any idea how well-received it would be? What has it done for musical theatre in the US in general?

This year and the next, there will be film adaptations of INTO THE WOODS, JERSEY BOYS, ANNIE. Many actors who may or may not have been in musical theatre have been encouraged to try their hand in this film genre.

But Hugh is going to be a step forward again -- he is aiming to produce and star in a brand new musical, designed for the movies. It is the musical biopic of P.T.Barnum in THE GREATEST SHOWMAN ON EARTH.

I wonder if Hugh has ever thought of doing a film adaptation of THE BOY FROM OZ?


Jo

[birchie]

Nice Canadiens interview. Too bad it wasn't on video!
As for Wolverine Canuck movie tie-ins, the biggest one for me was in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I didn't really notice it when I saw it in the theater but the first time I saw it at home I was watching the BluRay with my son and the scene when he's taken in by the Canadian farm couple and he joins them for dinner blew my mind. I started yelling OMG they're eating meat pie!! So I went back a few frames & sure enough there in the middle of the table is a big beautiful meat pie (Tourtière). Our family makes them for holiday dinners and I love it so much that I sometimes make one just for myself, even without a holiday! So there's a bit of movie trivia you can use...Wolverine eats French meat pie
Sue

[jo]

ph.celebrity.yahoo.com/news/hugh-jackman-ambition-came-dad-003000730.html

.
Hugh Jackman: My ambition came from my dad

.
EN Interview 1 - Hugh Jackman is one of those exceptional human beings whose personality is endlessly good-natured and gracious. Though he admits to having been an angry young man during his teens, he found a way to channel his darker sides into his work. He even admits to having a temper, although he only shows it when his children drive him to distraction on occasion. But when he plays Wolverine, as he does for the seventh time in the upcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past, there is no need for Hugh to put on a happy face.

“Wolverine is very determined and visceral – it’s not just anger that drives him although he obviously uses anger to his advantage,” Jackman says. “I don’t get angry while playing him, I get more annoyed in the months leading up to the start of filming and having to go on this insane diet and training regimen in order to put on 25 lbs and bulk up. You’d be angry too if you were eating 6000 calories a day and bench-pressing 350 lbs.”

Jackman returns to the big screen as Logan/Wolverine in X-Men: Days of Future Past, directed by Bryan Singer and co-starring Michael Fassbender as Eric Lehnsherr (the young Magneto) and James McAvoy as the young Charles Xavier. The film is the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2011 film, X:Men: First Class, which first introduced audiences to the younger versions of the future X-Men selves. The star-studded cast that includes Jennifer Lawrence, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Peter Dinklage, and Omar Sy.

The 45-year-old Jackman lives most of the year in New York together with his wife and fellow Aussie, former actress Deborah-Lee Furness, and their two adopted children, Oscar, 13, and Ava, eight.

In person, Jackman is the most amiable man alive. Though he claims to “hate chicken” because of his usual high-protein diet of five chicken breast per day, Hugh still likes to get up at dawn each day to do 45-minute workout sessions that help him maintain his fabulous physique. For our chat in a downtown Toronto hotel Hugh was wearing a bright blue linen shirt and black pants and looking slightly bleary-eyed.



THE INTERVIEW

Q: This will be your seventh time around as Wolverine. Is it getting time to hang up the steel claws?

JACKMAN: I have the feeling that there isn’t much more left to explore with Wolverine and that he’s had a good run. But it’s a character I’ve loved coming back to and if there’s a very good story left to be told I’d be willing to step back into the role again. Some people might think that you get tired of playing the same character, but I honestly enjoy playing Wolverine more now than I first did because I feel I have a better understanding of what I need to do justice to the character and that’s been very satisfying to me.

Q: Is it enjoyable to get to revisit your friendships with the other X-Men actors?

JACKMAN: That’s one of the best feelings you can have as an actor when you get to work with people you’ve developed friendships with in the past. It feels like a wonderful reunion the first few weeks you’re back on the set with the other actors and we had a very good time shooting this film. I’m immensely grateful to have the chance to be part of these films and I will always remember that Wolverine was my first big role in America.

Q: What can we expect from this latest instalment of the X-Men?

JACKMAN: The stakes are much higher now and probably as high as they can get. This is the greatest threat that all the X-Men are facing and it’s a truly epic tale. What makes things more interesting is being able to combine both X-Men worlds and audiences will be fascinated by that as well as by the overall scope of the story.

Q: Does playing Wolverine take any toll on you psychologically?

JACKMAN: No, I don’t go back to my hotel at night looking for a fight or anything like that. (Laughs) Prisoners, for example, was much more stressful for me because my character in that film was functioning at such a high level of tension and rage that it would wear me down. I’m very comfortable playing Wolverine although my body is pretty beaten up by the end of the shoot. That’s why I don’t know how long I can carry on in the role.

Q: You’ve admitted to having accomplished a lot of your acting goals after playing in Les Misérables. What worlds do you have left to conquer?

JACKMAN: Oh, quite a few I hope. I’m looking to push myself further in the coming years. I feel much more confident about my work now than I did ten or even five years ago and I want to play many different kinds of characters. I’m ready to challenge myself in ways that I wasn’t prepared or willing to do before and that’s kind of exciting for me. My wife thinks I have a strange fixation on wanting to keep inventing some sort of new mountain to climb and I have to keep assuring her that it’s just healthy ambition! (Laughs)

Q: Where do you think your drive and ambition comes from?

JACKMAN: My father. When I look back and think about how he was able to look after my brothers and I after our mum left. It’s staggering to imagine how he dealt with having a very important job and then being able to have the energy and willingness to be there for us. Whatever strength of character and determination I have in life I get from Chris (Jackman calls his father by his first name).

He wasn’t the most giving man, emotionally, although that was his nature more than anything else and he also probably needed to be as quietly strong as he could in order to handle the stress. I come close to losing my temper with own kids for a lot less trouble than my brothers and I caused in the house. My father had to basically look after five kids on his own for several years (until he remarried).

When I think about all that – it’s given me an even greater sense of admiration and respect for my father. I could never have coped the way he did and every day I spend with my wife Deb at home makes me feel very grateful that I have a beautiful and caring wife with whom I can share the parenting duties. I’m a much better father simply because I have Deb alongside me.

Q: So many marriages, especially celebrity marriages, seem to break down over time. Are you surprised at how well your marriage has evolved over the years ?

JACKMAN : I think when you have a good feeling about someone and then everything that happens after that meets or even exceeds what you expected, then you never look back. We have this very beautiful and natural way of being together that has made it very easy for us to be together and enjoy our lives together. I can’t imagine my life without Deb. I would never have come this far either emotionally or creatively.

Q : Your wife was already a big star when you got a part and started working together (in 1995) on the Australian TV series, Corelli. What was your first meeting like?

JACKMAN: We met in the car that was driving us to set that day. We lived nearby and so she was already sitting in the front seat, with her sunglasses on and looking very, very good, when the car came by my place to pick me up. At one point she turned around and got up on her knees, pulled down her sunglasses, and said, 'Hi, I’m Deborrah-Lee. Nice to meet you.' I remember thinking how cool that was. I loved the way she did that. I loved the sunglasses, all that.

Q: So it was love at first sight?

JACKMAN: (Laughs) We were very attracted to each other from the start and it was a situation where it seemed so ridiculous and clichéd and embarrassing and infantile, the whole thing where this was my first big acting job and here I am falling in love with the leading lady.

A year later we were married and later we made the move to New York when I was getting offers to work in the U.S. and it’s been an incredible adventure for us and our children.

Q: Has it been hard to insulate your children from the kind of fame and fortune that you enjoy as an actor?

JACKMAN: I’ve tried to teach my children to have respect for people and to be aware that the privileges they enjoy and security they have is something they should be very grateful for. I’ve been very lucky as an actor to have enjoyed the kind of success that I’ve had and that our family has been blessed to have material security and not have to worry about paying bills. My kids have been taught to appreciate those things and they understand the importance of studying hard and learning to stand on their own feet.

Q: You seem to be eternally good-natured. Do you ever get down on yourself?

JACKMAN: I can’t say I’ve ever been depressed. I did go through one week of stage fright in the middle of performing The Boy from Oz (his one-man show about the life of Aussie singer-dancer Peter Allen) in 2004 where it crept up on me one night. My voice had cracked on one note and then the next night it really cracked. And for the next week I was very anxious whenever that moment in the show would arrive and I cracked every night on the same note and it became more and more terrifying.

I was resigned that I was going to have to go to therapy about it, but then, all of a sudden, on the very last show, I remembered the 101 principle of acting – 'It’s not about you!'

I was singing a song about Judy Garland and all of a sudden I was freed up and I felt my breath returning and all that anxiety began to disappear. I was literally on stage crying. It was the most inappropriate moment to cry but it was like this release of fear. It was one week of my life, but about as bad as it could have gotten.

Q: Does marriage signify something more important to you than what people who don’t have strong faith or principles might believe ?

JACKMAN : I can’t speak for other people. Marriage is a leap of faith you take but it’s also an incredible experience because you’re going to learn so much more about yourself and about life by being with one person and sharing your life that way. And having kids extends that process because you need to be so open and honest with your children. They see who you really are and so you learn to enjoy being completely natural and at ease with them. Your children force you to be absolutely real and present.

Q: What do you enjoy most about being a father?

JACKMAN: I love making pancakes for them on Sundays. When I’m at home, I love taking my kids to school for lunch, I love meeting them for lunch sometimes, and I also love being able to pick them up after school.

I also help them with their homework, things like that. We play monopoly, football – it’s so much fun for me to be able to have that kind of closeness to my kids. Even though kids can be hard work at times, there’s nothing more beautiful than being part of their lives and seeing that they’re happy.

Cover Media/Viva Press

[jo]

Q: You’ve admitted to having accomplished a lot of your acting goals after playing in Les Misérables. What worlds do you have left to conquer?

JACKMAN: Oh, quite a few I hope. I’m looking to push myself further in the coming years. I feel much more confident about my work now than I did ten or even five years ago and I want to play many different kinds of characters. I’m ready to challenge myself in ways that I wasn’t prepared or willing to do before and that’s kind of exciting for me. My wife thinks I have a strange fixation on wanting to keep inventing some sort of new mountain to climb and I have to keep assuring her that it’s just healthy ambition! (Laughs)

I enjoyed reading this part of the above interview the most! He is not driving himself to find awards-bait roles but rather challenging himself to seek variety (as in "the spice of life!") in the work that he does! It must be the consummate actor in him! That is the drama of his career aspirations!

I have a feeling that tackling a villainy role like BLACKBEARD and going to Broadway with a "reflective play" such as THE RIVER, instead of a showy engagement, are just part of the new worlds he wants to conquer.

I am very excited about what comes next in the next few years. I wonder if the challenges will ever include a classical play before Trevor Nunn retires?


Jo

[mamaleh]

I guess the kids' private schools allow parents to join them for lunch? I never saw that happen at P.S. 41 on Staten Island.

Ellen

[jo]

Only if the parent is one Hugh Jackman - jk

Jo

[chessie]

From time to time a parent would join their child for lunch at the school where I taught. After sampling the food and experiencing the pandemonium in the cafeteria, they seldom returned for a second visit. I have a feeling that the atmosphere might be a bit different in the schools Hugh's kids attend.

I think the interview confirms the fact that Hugh's choices are based on what he finds personally satisfying and challenging. It's why his career has been so diverse.

Carol

[jo]

This is from the media tour for DAYS OF FUTURE PAST, but the questions were more personal and not really about the movie itself --

english.cri.cn/6666/2014/05/14/102s826484.htm

He would love to go back to ancient Greece! It seems he wants to learn more about philosophy from the original thinkers...and he does love the theatre ( can you imagine him emoting on one of the ancient ampitheatres?)


Jo