ughJackman: ¶I want people to think I could rip their head off«·

JessieBeard. 10/05/2009

3
 

  
    





 

  
 



 

     



 

     

! "

  
 
 
   
#3  
 "

$
#
" 
 %
& '

( There is this battle going on between the human side of Wolverine and the animal
side. That is the part of the story I love because we all battle with that. We all have control, but I think
thereƞs a part of us that just wants chaos and anarchy, to do what we want to do. Wolverine is like that,
he is fighting that every single day of his life. Heƞs like a coiled spring ready to pounce. Heƞs the badass.

& 
     
 
  % 
&'( I wanted audiences to think, ƝThis guy could easily rip someoneƞs head offƞ, so I worked hard to
achieve that physique. I ran and had to lift very heavy weights. Every morning Iƞd get up and there was a
part of me that just wanted to collapse, but you just have to keep going, itƞs full-on testosterone. When
Iƞm training, Iƞm fairly obnoxious, I really make a big thing of it and there is a lot of noise. I play driving
music like Metallica that I would never otherwise listen to.

)   
  



 


  
% 
&'( I consulted a bodybuilder and what I realised is that how you look is 30% how you train and 70%
how you eat. No carbs after lunch. Six to eight chicken breasts a day, two at each sitting, 4,000 calories
in total. I really enjoyed eating pizza at the end of the movie, trust me, and I had half a dozen beers on
the final day of shooting.



  
  

 * %
&'( She loves it. When we met, I was in a prison drama, I had long hair, a mullet, a lot of muscles and
tattoos, I was seriously pumped-up. She likes me when Iƞm in the Wolverine mode, the bad boy, you
know? She loves me putting the leather jacket on, getting on the motorbikeƦ

 
 
 


#)  

 
%
&'( Not much these days but I had a lot of rage when I was younger. I was the youngest in the family, I
was bullied at school and I was probably a bit of a bully myself. At home there were five of us and we
fought a lot. I remember my older brother Ralph taunting me and one day I chucked a chair at him and I
thought, ƝIƞm going to have to kill him, because if I just knock him out, heƞs going to wake up and then
heƞs going to kill me.ƞ Thatƞs real rage.

)  

  "
   


 % 
&'( Never. I still pinch myself. I still go i nto a five-star hotel and jump on the bed, I get so excited. None
of this happened until I was 30, so itƞs not lost on me, the hard thing is going to be for my kids ƛ Oscar,
eight, and Ava, three. Iƞm terrified of them getting on a plane and saying, ƝDaddy, whatƞs behind the
curtain?ƞ as in where economy is. Theyƞve been brought up with a lot more privilege than I had.

    
 
 

   % 
&'(My wife Deb. We never get sick of each other, she is amazing. Deb is so cool, she turns heads
wherever she goes. I am more in love with her every day.

   


  
 

 
% 
&'(I actually had a big crush on Deb, who was my leading lady on my first TV show, Corelli. She was a
huge star, beautiful and larger than life. I started planning to propose to her after I had known her for
about three months. I knew someone else was very interested in her and I found myself feeling jealous.
Then I had a dinner party ƛ I invited her and about 10 people. I can cook well and I made snapper with
pumpkin soup to start and Crêpe Suzette flambé that my dad had taught me how to make. That was my
Ɲhow to impress a girlƞ menu.

&  



%
&'(Well, this is what happened: before the Crêpe Suzette, Debƞs mobile rang and it was a very famous
friend of hers who said, ƝIƞm outside Hughƞs house in a limo with Mick Jagger and Mick says come out and
party.ƞ Now, you have to understand for a kid whose favourite rock band is The Rolling Stones, that was
amazing, so I said, ƝGo, what are you doing sitting here? Go with Mick.ƞ And she gets on the phone and
says, ƝYou tell Mick Iƞm having dinner with Hugh Jackmanƞ, and hung up. So she stood up Mick Jagger for
me. And I went, ƝWow, thatƞs pretty cool.ƞ


"  





%
&'(Food and wine. I love a Chateau Lafite Rothschild, which is very expensive (around £1,000 a bottle),
but fantastic. Thatƞs probably my biggest since Iƞve had money.





 
 
% 
&'(I am romantic and I do cry, but I wouldnƞt say I am an easy crier. The last film where I had a really
good cry was Tsotsi, that one really got to me. Another big one was Shadowlands. That last scene with
Anthony Hopkins absolutely slayed me.

&   



  +&  

 


   

",
%
&'( Theyƞre fun. I absolutely loved the Oscars, I had a great time. The Oscars had become too much
about the awards and not enough entertainment. I tried to bring a little show to the showbiz.


 

   
       

 

  
- 


  
.   %
&'(My Dadƞs from London and Mumƞs from Norwich. I feel totally Australian and yet I feel very much at
home in England. They came over to Australia in 1967.

)  



%
&'( New Yearƞs Eve was pretty unbelievable. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban invited us on a yacht that
Sting and Trudie had rented. It was amazing. Keith starts strumming his guitar and then Deb says, ƝHugh
get up and sing.ƞ So I sing I Still Call Australia Home. Then my mate, Mark, who canƞt sing at all, gets up
and belts out ƝRoxanne, you donƞt have to put on the red lightƞ in a terrible voice. He looks at Sting and
says, ƝI need some back-up.ƞ So Sting joins in and the two of them are singing this god-awful rendition of
Roxanne. Mark looks at me and says, ƝI canƞt believe this is happeningƞ. It was fantastic, one of the best
nights of my life.

& 
  

 
 




 
%
&'( My wife, God bless her, said, ƝObviously Brad wasnƞt available this yearƦƞ But she also said, ƝI
couldƞve told them that years ago.ƞ My son Oscar said, ƝYou? Youƞve gotta be kidding me.ƞ He honestly
said that. I donƞt know if itƞs worth it, though. I can tell you one thing ƛ it means you get a whole lotta
hell from your mates.

3&./."0,/.
- Itƞs the only time itƞs happened ƛ a star arriving early for an interview. Hugh was half an hour early, and
very cheerful.
- Hugh is ridiculously tall (6ft2in) and looking slick in black trousers and a polo shirt when we meet him.
- While we talk, Hugh eats grilled salmon, salad and steamed veggies. Itƞs actually his second lunch of
the day ƛ heƞs already had grilled chicken.
- After our interview, Hugh has to dash off. Turns out Deb is waiting to whisk him away for a romantic
afternoon and then dinner.
- Unlike many A-listers, no subject is off-limits with Hugh. We heart him.
c