Hugh Jackman didn't know that wolverines were real
Hugh Jackman set the record straight about his lack of steroid use, but that wasn't enough to distract from his confession about wolverines
Before reprising his role as Wolverine once more, Hugh Jackman is setting the record straight when it comes to his training routine—both physical and educational.
A new interview with Jackman on HBO’s Who’s Talking To Chris Wallace begins normally enough. The broadcaster asks a question that has apparently followed Jackman for years: “Did he take steroids?”
“No, I love my job. And I love Wolverine,” Jackman says, per Variety. “I got to be careful what I say here, but I had been told anecdotally what the side effects are of that. And I was like, ‘I don’t love it that much.’ So no, I just did it the old school way. And I tell you, I’ve eaten more chickens—I’m so sorry to all the vegans and vegetarians and to the chickens of the world. Literally the karma is not good for me. If the deity has anything related to chickens, I’m in trouble.”
His gym routine obviously paid off when it came time to shoot the movie and take on the role of Wolverine. However, elsewhere in the conversation, Jackman makes a much more stunning confession.
“I had never read the comic book,” Jackman says. “I got the part. I didn’t really know anything about… I didn’t—in Australia, we don’t have wolverines. I didn’t know that was a real animal. I’d never heard of a wolverine. I thought it was a made-up animal. You know, like, he’s got man hands of steel, made up. And so I was passing as I was doing rehearsal, at the IMAX, they had this documentary about wolves. And I was like, ‘Perfect,’ because obviously, I’m a wolf, part wolf.”
“So I went [to set] with all these wolf moves and I was doing these moves, and the director said, ‘What are you doing?’” Jackman continues. “And I said, ‘Well, I was just thinking wolves are always looking like this because they’re actually smelling, they’ve got their nose to the ground. That’s why they’re looking like this all the time.’ And he goes, ‘What do you mean a wolf?’ And I said, ‘Well, you know, Wolverine—I’m part wolf so…’ and he goes, ‘No, you’re a wolverine.’”
Anyway, Jackman will soon be returning to Wolverine’s physical form and mentality when he returns in the forthcoming Deadpool 3. Over the years, Jackman’s played the role of Wolverine in ten different films, and says he’s learned not to rush the bulking up process. He also shares that once he wraps up his work on Broadway’s The Music Man, he will spend the next six months training day in and day out.
“I’ve learned you can’t rush it. I’ve learned that it takes time,” Jackman says. “So, we have six months from when I finish [The Music Man] to when I started filming. And I’m not doing any other work. I’m going to be with my family and train. That’s going to be my job for six months.”
Never underestimate the power of personal trainers—and zoos.