Standing tall at 6’3″, a musical enthusiast, and Australian, is there an actor who seems more opposed to X-Men‘s Wolverine than Hugh Jackman? The Canadian ball of rage burst onto the pages of X-Men in the ’70s, coming to only 5’3″ in the comics, but something about Jackman’s bond with the character just makes sense despite their apparent differences.
Following his appearance in the 2000 live-action debut of the character in X-Men, Jackman became an icon. Going on to reprise his role for 17 years, it seems impossible that anyone else could have been chosen.
But according to Jackman himself, that could have been a reality if he had listened to his wife’s initial opinion on the role. Deborra-Lee Furness had been a constant support system for the actor, but when first reading the pages of the script, she wanted nothing to do with the character.
Deborra-Lee Furness thought Wolverine was ridiculous
Over the years, Jackman has told the story of embarking on the role of a lifetime. Before the time of Marvel Studios and superheroes permeating pop culture, it was a rare film that showcased comic book characters. When the actor first got the script, he shared it with his wife, who could not have been more dismissive. Extra‘s Jerry Penacoli often interviewed Jackman while wearing claws, prompting the actor to recount the tale:
“She’s reading the script, like: ‘Wolverine senses danger, his nostrils flare and snikt, claws come out of his hands.’ You can’t do this. This is ridiculous.”
Jackman continued, saying that his wife had no interest in supporting the role, even though he decided he would try out for it. Since then, he has been adamant that was the only time his wife had been wrong regarding his auditions — and how wrong she was.
Wolverine became Jackman’s most well-known role, one he keeps returning to throughout his career. Even though he officially retired from the character in Logan when the character indisputably died, he couldn’t help but return to the role in Ryan Reynold‘s upcoming Deadpool movie.
Since Logan takes place in the distant future, Deadpool 3 will not impact the devasting death of Wolverine. Taking place before that event, and most likely several character variants, the legacy of Logan will not be besmirched. We may be able to see a more comic-accurate version when the film finally hits screens; according to promotional material, Jackman has been photographed in outfits that are practically ripped from the pages of the comic. If this is the case, we’re glad Jackman did not hang up his claws for good.
