Hugh Jackman, star of the Foxverse X-Men franchise and one of Hollywood’s most revered and talented artists, had a traumatic childhood after his mother walked out on the family when he was only 8 years old. The Australian actor has always been vocal about the shaping moment of his formative years and revealed that it wasn’t until he was 12 or 13 years old that the actor entirely grasped the fact that his mother wouldn’t be coming back.
Years later, although the two have now reconciled, the impact that the abandonment had on his psyche required therapy and Jackman opens up about the relationship that he has fostered in his adulthood with his mother after accepting the reasons behind her moving away from the family.
Hugh Jackman Opens Up About His Childhood Years
Hugh Jackman has always been candid about his childhood and his pre-teen years which were marred by the event of his mother walking out on the Jackman family and leaving him and his brothers, Ralph and Ian, behind with their father, Chris Jackman. His mother, Grace McNeil, had left Australia then and headed for the UK with his sisters, Zoe and Sonia Jackman in tow. At the time, the Wolverine actor was aged 8.
Years later, it would be revealed to him that the Prestige star’s mother had been suffering from post-natal depression and it was for the sake of her children that Grace McNeil had decided to move away. When the mother-son duo reconnected decades later, there was an understanding between the two, since Hugh Jackman, a father of two himself, realized the impact it must have had on his mother to leave behind three of her children and move halfway across the world.
Hugh Jackman Makes Peace With His Mother, Grace McNeil
In 2011, in an exclusive interview with The Sun, Hugh Jackman revealed that he and his mother had reconciled and come to acknowledge the events that had affected both of their lives significantly.
“As I grew older, I gained an understanding of why mum did leave. We have definitely made our peace, which is important.”
Sometime before his father’s death (on September 5, 2021), Hugh Jackman started therapy to counter the mental stress of watching his father’s health deteriorate and the sleepless nights he was having from filming The Son. Recently, Jackman told Who Magazine that the therapy also helped him come to terms with his traumatic past.
“I just started it recently. It’s helped me a lot. We all need a village… [It’s about] understanding my past… And, most importantly, [it’s] helping me to be more relational with people I love in my life, and really understanding and living in their shoes and being clear to be able to see them.”
Currently, the actor is gearing up for his major Marvel entry with 2024’s Deadpool 3 in which he reprises his iconic role as Wolverine alongside Ryan Reynolds’ titular character for one last X-Men adventure.
Deadpool 3 premieres on November 8, 2024.
Source: Daily Mail
