|
Hugh Jackman Interview
by Martyn Palmer
There was a moment during the filming of Van Helsing when the irrepressible Hugh Jackman felt that perhaps, just this once, he had pushed himself a little too hard.
As an actor who admits that he enjoys, indeed revels, in the physical challenges of a role (just take a look at his incredible high energy stage performance in The Boy From Oz, currently wowing Broadway for further proof) Hugh is more than happy to `give it a go' to use his own colourful Aussie phrase.
And giving it a go means that wherever possible he actively seeks out his own stunt work even if there are experts on hand to do it which in turn would give him the chance to take a well earned breather back in his trailer, of course. He is, after all, the star of the show. But no, Jackman loves to get involved with whatever is going on and his enthusiasm is simply infectious.
When this actor tells you that he just loves his work, you believe him. “Actually, I've always tried to do a lot of my own stunts,” he says. “I'm not an idiot but I quite enjoy that side of it. And I want to at least try to do them if I can.”
In this instance, Hugh found himself lying flat out on a metal shelf, in between two galloping horses, whereupon he had to flip up and stand between the animals and bring the carriage they were pulling under control. He makes it sound easy, when of course it's anything but.
“There were six trained horses and a carriage,” explains Hugh. “I was actually lying on this sheet of metal, like a big dinner tray, to support my back and my legs were dragging along the ground. I was just holding on and as I'm doing this I look down and realise that there is about this much space (indicates about a foot) between the metal bar of the carriage and the ground. Slip here and I'm dead.
“Plus I'm in between two horses and if they decide to go in opposite directions that wouldn't be funny either. I'm on about the third take and all of a sudden I get a bit freaked and the stunt guy comes over to me and says `I can't believe you just did that. I've never seen any actor do anything like that..' And I'm like `what!?' Listen I'm sure it was perfectly safe, and anyway, if it wasn't ignorance is bliss...”
Thankfully Mr Jackman emerged from three months of filming in wintry Prague with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises plus some extremely happy memories and considerable respect for his director, Stephen Sommers, which was greater than when he went in, if that was possible.
“Steve is a lovely man and a great director,” he says. “No matter how much success he has, and let's face it he had a lot of success, he is always working to the Nth degree on everything.”
The respect is obviously mutual. Sommers, who directed The Mummy and its equally successful follow up, The Mummy Returns, had Jackman in mind when he wrote Van Helsing, the story of the legendary vampire hunter who has featured in stories before - he was, for instance, played by Sir Anthony Hopkins in Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula.
But in this lavish adventure Van Helsing faces not just one formidable adversary but many - Jekyll and Hyde, Vampires, the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster and more. For Jackman, Dr Abraham Van Helsing is rather like a one man clean up squad, sent in by the Church to battle evil, when all else fails.
“By the time the Catholic Church send Van Helsing out there they are admitting that they have lost a soul to hell basically,” says Hugh. “And they just need it killed and out of this world.”
Filming in Prague, with his wife of eight years, the actress Deborra-Lee Furness and their son, Oscar, now nearly four, at his side, was a “hugely enjoyable” experience, says Hugh. “I loved the city, it's beautiful and the cast and crew were just great.”
Van Helsing also stars Kate Beckinsale as the beautiful Anna Valerious, Richard Roxburgh as Count Dracula, Will Kemp as The Wolf Man and David Wenham as Carl. “Aussies and Poms,” laughs Hugh. “RIchard and David are fellow Australians, great blokes. And Kate and Will are Poms. We all got on very well.”
Jackman, 35, is one of five children, born and raised in Sydney and first acted at school, although he never seriously considered it to be a career option. “At school they encouraged music and sport and acting and drama, but it was encouraged as part of the rounding of the man. Not really as a career option - you were meant to become a doctor or a lawyer, one of the professions. So I never contemplated becoming an actor.”
Instead, he studied communications at the University of Technology in Sydney, majoring in journalism, and left college planning on a career in the media. But then he had a change of heart.
“I didn't know how to get started (in journalism) and didn't fancy doing death knocks and all that kind of stuff for the first few years. So I put it off for a year and did a part time acting course and a lot of things fell into place at once.”
Indeed they did. From that part time course, Jackman won a place at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth and when he left there walked straight into a role on the Australian television drama Corelli where he first met his wife to be.
Jackman has vast experience on stage and screen back home in Australia but he credits his work with the National Theatre in London, and in particular Trevor Nunn's acclaimed production of Oklahoma, as some of his best. Working with Nunn certainly had a huge influence on him.
“When I actually got to the National Theatre in London that was probably my dream come true,” he recalls. “I used to walk back across Waterloo Bridge every night pinching myself.”
Hollywood, in turn, has welcomed him with open arms. He played Wolverine in X-Men and the hugely successful follow up, X-Men 2 and says he would love to do a third in the series if the ensemble cast - which includes Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian McKellan and Famke Janssen - is reunited. He starred with Meg Ryan in the romantic comedy Kate and Leopold and with John Travolta in the thriller Swordfish.
At the moment, Hugh is in the middle of a 12 month run starring as the late singer songwriter Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway. He gave this interview backstage in his dressing room - surrounded by CDs, DVDs, tapes, mementos from home and a box of chocolate strawberries made by his son Oscar - before going on stage for a Saturday matinee.
|
Interviews
|
|
This website is created and designed by Atlantis International, 2006
This is an unofficial website with educational purpose. All pictures, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and may not be reproduced for any reason whatsoever. If proper notation of owned material is not given please notify us so we can make adjustments. No copyright infringement is intended.
