Making his way into Hollywood, Hugh Jackman had his breakthrough with the 2000 film X-Men. He was cast as the comic character Wolverine. The film introduced a number of X-Men, but the Wolverine actor stood out and became a fan favorite. The character constantly appeared in most X-Men movies and even had three standalone films. Jackman’s Wolverine became one of the biggest heroes introduced through the franchise.
However, that might not have been the case, as the Logan star was not the first choice for the character. David Hayter, the screenwriter of X-Men (2000), revealed that Jackman was rejected the first time he auditioned for the role.
Hugh Jackman Did Not Fit Wolverine’s Character
After portraying Wolverine for a long time, Hugh Jackman is set to reprise the fan-favorite character in Deadpool 3. However, even after portraying the character for years Jackman still doesn’t find any similarities between him and Wolverine.
And that might be the reason why he almost lost the role when he first auditioned for it. Screenwriter David Hayter once revealed that the Real Steel star did not get the part on his first attempt.
Hayter shared, “I was there for pretty much all of the casting, and the first time Hugh Jackman read, he didn’t get cast.” According to Hayter, Wolverine is a very complex character and the Prisoners star seemed too nice to portray him.
“He was great, but he was the nicest guy in the world and he was very tall and super handsome, so we didn’t think he was Wolverine.”
He revealed that the Fox executives wanted Dougray Scott to portray the character. So, the studio cast him in the role while he was working on Mission: Impossible II. Soon they found out that the Taken 3 star had an accident and had lost around 150 pounds.
After this, the studio turned to Jackman. He started receiving coaching sessions to prepare for his role. Hayter shared that the Reminiscence star captured the character in his heart. Whatever the case may be, fans are thankful to have Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and are excited for his return in Deadpool 3.
Hugh Jackman Has One Thing in Common With Wolverine
Hugh Jackman has shared multiple times that he is not able to relate to his X-Men character. The Wolverine star who has played the character for years, said, “Spend five minutes with me and you’ll know that couldn’t be further from who I am.”
However, he was finally able to find one common as he grew older. The Van Helsing star shared, “Wolverine’s a tortured character, more tortured than me.” He further shared that just like Wolverine, he also feels comfortable in his own skin.
“But I always get the feeling of him being comfortable in his own skin. And I feel more comfortable in my own skin now, even though it’s messier,” Jackman said. And The Prestige star is confident that he would be better when he would return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3.
Deadpool 3 is set to release on 8 November 2024.
Source: CBR
