Actor Hugh Jackman is known for his seventeen-year tenure as Wolverine in the X-Men franchise. No stranger to action films, outside of the franchise he has seldom chosen action-heavy roles, choosing to flex his other acting muscles. One of the few times he did choose a blockbuster film was when he starred in the supernatural action film Van Helsing.
The Stephen Sommers directorial saw Jackman as a monster hunter who comes in contact with classic monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, Jekyll and Hyde, etc. During filming, Jackman reportedly broke the hand of an extra, who feared that he would be fired after getting in the way of a star.
Hugh Jackman In Stephen Sommers’ Van Helsing
Hugh Jackman had his Hollywood breakthrough with the role of Logan a.k.a Wolverine in the X-Men films. A relatively unknown Australian actor at the time, Jackman won the role after he was recommended by fellow Australian Russell Crowe. He shot to international stardom with the role, as it was a huge commercial success, earning $296 million against a $75 million budget.
Jackman starred in the sequel X2, which was an even bigger hit, and to keep the momentum going, he starred in the supernatural action film Van Helsing. Helmed by the legendary director of The Mummy series Stephen Sommers, Van Helsing was a tribute to Universal Pictures’ classic monster films of the 30s and 40s.
Also read:5 Highest Grossing Hugh Jackman Movies Where He Doesn’t Play the Wolverine
The character of Van Helsing, a monster hunter, was based on a character appearing in writer Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The character appears in the book as Abraham Van Helsing and is a vampire hunter. Jackman played the role of Gabriel Van Helsing alongside actress Kate Beckinsale.
Despite negative reviews, the film was a commercial success. It earned $300 million globally at the box office, against a production budget of $170 million.
Hugh Jackman Broke An Extra’s Hand While Filming
Hugh Jackman is known for doing his own stunts, especially in the X-Men films. The films were action-packed and Jackman spared no opportunities to don the adamantium claws himself and perform risky stunts. He reportedly almost broke his neck while shooting for the bullet-train sequence in The Wolverine, for which he was apparently shouted at by his now ex-wife Deborra Lee-Jones.
While the actor has sustained many injuries in his X-Men films, he reportedly caused one during the shooting of Van Helsing. According to IOL, the actor broke the hand of an extra who was performing a stunt sequence in a scene along with him. The extra reportedly ran away, fearing that he would be fired for being in the star’s way. Jackman said,
“I broke an extra’s hand on this thing. I was getting lifted and propelled and couldn’t stop. I put my hand out and felt this guy crumple in front of me. I found out later he’d been running away. He thought I was going to fire him – for getting in the star’s way.”
No other updates were given about the extra’s situation in the film, but the way Jackman says the story, it seems like the extra got to keep his job.
