Hugh Jackman has been acting since the early 90s, but his foray into movies really happened when he was cast as Logan/ Wolverine in the X-Men movies, all the way back in 2000, with the movie X-Men. Before that, he had already made a name for himself in theatres as well as Australian TV shows.
Jackman is currently gearing up for his upcoming venture, Deadpool 3. The third installment of the Merc with the Mouth will see both Deadpool as well as Wolverine being inducted into the MCU. Director Shawn Levy and Jackman’s best frenemy, Ryan Reynolds, are all set to bring the movie to the theaters.
But did you know that this is not the first time Jackman will be working under Shawn Levy’s direction?
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The Tale of a Phone Charger and a Stranger
By the time the two accomplished personalities first met, Shawn Levy was already an accomplished director – with movies like Night at the Museum and the Pink Panther remake under his belt. Hugh Jackman, too, had already established himself as an accomplished actor with superhero movies like X-Men as well as more serious movies like The Prestige.
Both were familiar with each other and their work, and the first time they met – at an airport – it was easy to get the conversation going. Jackman needed a phone charger, and Levy had one, which got the two talking. Jackman said in a conversation with EW,
“I didn’t have anything; my phone was about to run out. I asked Shawn [for a charger], and we never stopped talking and became friends. We hung out, and it was like, ‘We’ve got to find something to do together.’ Everyone had already said that to me because we were in the same worlds a lot: the Fox studio, [Chairman Tom] Rothman, and all those people. I remember, finally, Shawn said, ‘I’ve got it. I’ve got the thing for us.'”
They soon became friends and were looking forward to working with each other.
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How ‘Something’ Turned to Real Steel
As their conversation continued in a busy airport, Shawn Levy and Jackman’s friendship blossomed as well. Being familiar with the other’s filmography, they both wanted to work with each other. And that soon turned into Real Steel (2011).
Jackman recounted,
“We never stopped talking and became friends. We hung out, and it was like, ‘We’ve got to find something to do together.'”
He further continued how Levy finally told him about the movie,
“I remember, finally, Shawn said, ‘I’ve got it. I’ve got the thing for us.'”
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Levy, too, remembered how he pitched the movie to the actor, saying,
“Let’s do a f—ing cool-as-hell boxing-robot action movie, but let’s actually use that as a Trojan horse for a father-son movie.”
The movie, though, it did not open to thunderous reception, went on to gain a pretty good following in the years to come with its feel-good and positive vibes. Real Steel is available for streaming on Fubo TV.
