Hugh Jackman is globally known for portraying the forever angry, screaming, and raw Wolverine/Logan. But the actor had to dig deep and expose his subtle emotional side in a recent project. In The Son, Jackman plays a father who has to take care of his teenage son suffering from depression and more. As such, it’s an emotionally heavy film that taxed the actor to his core as a performer and a parent. So much so that it brought out his deepest and darkest fears.
Hugh Jackman Reveals His Emotional Issues While Filming The Son
The Son, isn’t the first time Hugh Jackman has ever worked on dramatic or emotional material. But it was the one that contained more emotional material than anything else he has ever worked on. The Logan actor said in an interview with The Guardian:
“It was technically difficult. It was emotionally difficult. And I just sort of let go a little bit, stuff from my upbringing was coming up. My worries as a father. That’s a new thing for me. I was thinking about it and dreaming about it. I was more of a hot mess in this than in anything I’ve ever done.”
It was made worse by the fact that Jackman was also dealing with the loss of his father, Christopher Jackman, who had passed away after suffering from Alzheimer’s for more than a decade. To make matters worse, his father was laid to rest when he was shooting the film. But the makers did something that helped Jackman deal with his insecurities and emotional wounds.
The Son Makers Brought In Psychiatrists For Hugh Jackman
The makers of the film, Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton, understood Jackman and his co-star’s emotions and brought psychiatrists on the set. They were there to help the crew and cast through any mental issues or more. Jackman said that he had never been on a set with psychiatrists, but he appreciated the thoughtfulness of the makers.
As per the actor:
“This was the first time I’d ever seen such a thing on a film and people used it, and it was necessary. There’s a little part of the old school part of my brain [that thinks], ‘Well, that’s up to you to work out.’ If you need to go to a doctor, for whatever reason, your foot, your mental health, you know, you work that out. But I think it certainly would be a sign from an employer that we understand taking care of the whole person, not just paying them, but taking care of their wellbeing in all forms is really, really important.”
Zeller and Hampton plan to release The Mother next, which will round out the trilogy that consists of The Father and The Son for now. As for Jackman, he is currently prepping for Deadpool 3, where he will reprise his role of Wolverine beside Ryan Reynolds’ titular character.
Deadpool 3 will release on 8 November 2024.
Source: The Guardian
