Hugh Jackman hangs up his claws after ‘Logan’

It’s the end of the interview day in Mandarin Oriental Taipei, and Hugh Jackman is dressed more like a rockstar biker than a retiring X-Man. In a black T-shirt and matching leather jacket, the Australian actor is tall and lean, hair slicked back. There’s a bit of white cream visible on his left nostril, a remnant of recent basal cell carcinoma surgery, and he’s here to talk about endings. Specifically, the final Wolverine chapter, and what it’s like to finish on such a high note. Acting is much on his mind — not politics, not diets, not how long he had to work out for the role (six months, if you’re curious).

He’s sitting with Sir Patrick Stewart, and the warm reminiscences between the two are even more poignant, knowing this is their final X-Men appearance. Jackman also co-produced most of the Wolverine movies, so he had a hand in shaping the story and picking his fave director, James Mangold, to come aboard.

During the red carpet walk at Tapei 101 later that evening, Jackman transforms into a superhero: pressing flesh amid a crowd of thousands, taking hundreds of selfies with fans, signing posters and memorabilia — all showing why this Australian actor is so beloved, and why his iteration of the character Wolverine will be so missed.

PHILIPPINE STAR: Do you think, with the R-rated Logan, that Marvel movies will now be forced to grow up and reach more adult audiences?

HUGH JACKMAN: Marvel’s done some amazing things — in any genre. What I’m most proud of in this movie is that a relatively small group of people — it started with James and I, then soon after with Patrick — had a vision for this movie that was very different than anything we’d done before with the sole purpose of allowing us to get to the essence of what this character was and what this world could be. And the studio said yes immediately.

I think in the new world of film we live in, “average” fails. And I think it’s a great film. If you’re “okay” — if you’re not giving people a reason to go, except a great marketing campaign, throwing money at it — it doesn’t work. By 7 p.m. Friday night when you open, people are going, “Meh.” And then you’re dead by Saturday. And I’m sure it makes many filmmakers very nervous for audiences. You can’t just say, “It’s an X-Men movie, it’s a comic book movie, people will go.” No, it’s got to be a good one. So I think people will take more risks, hopefully, and just continue to evolve them. 

The tone is deeper, grittier than previous Wolverine outings. Were you conscious of raising the stakes?

This film is a fairly radical departure for both characters, and from any other X-Men film or comic book. James Mangold wanted to make it smaller — there’s no invading force from other planets, it’s really these three superheroes in a car; there’s no jets or fancy weaponry, they’re staying in cheap motels all the way, in casinos, they’re needing gas and phone chargers. It all seems sort of ordinary in a way.

It’s the same character, but we’ve gone deeper, and James’ script has allowed this. To watch Patrick’s performance, to see the rapid shifts from the vulnerable to the cheeky, to the funny to the wise — you see moments of Charles Xavier where he’s the same, but then very different — and the same with mine, he’s allowed us to get under the skin like we’ve never been able to get before.

Is there some political resonance to Logan now, with its focus on the Mexican border, and refugees seeking safe passage?

The center of this movie is a man who is terrified by love. For good reason: everyone he’s known or loved has died, he’s been involved in some of that. What are we talking about? Intimacy. This is an age-old question. It’s easy to extrapolate it to a political world, to see it as the world we live in. Of course, we have these border walls, we have these seemingly defenseless, innocent people trying to cross to safety. There are a lot of parallels we can draw.

Sometimes I think by saying this is a political movie — we’re talking about those people — it takes away from the heart of the movie which speaks to every single person in this room and every single person on the planet, which is: at what degree or level are you courageous enough to open your true self up to the people you love? Not just show them the good bits, not just the bits that are convenient. Because family’s not convenient; it’s annoying, it’s frustrating, you don’t get to choose it; you have to somehow learn to live together with people you might have nothing in common with besides having the same parents.

It’s such a great microcosm of the world. So yes, there are parallels, they’re deliberate parallels. The story is saying, as uncomfortable, sometimes frightening and even dangerous or annoying as it is, the road to living a worthwhile life is to learn from others, to open yourself up, to put yourself in their shoes before your own.

We were knocked out by young Dafne Keen. How was she to work with?

Dafne Keen is an amazing actress. You can take away the 11-year-old bit and just say she’s an incredible actress. Anyone who knows anything about acting, to have a part with barely any dialogue, that is in almost every scene — essentially the heart of the movie — is a very steep hill to climb. Yet, from this killing machine to watching her open up, to life, to love, to relationships, to see that blossom, with hardly any dialogue, was astonishing. She was different every take, she was very focused, she would hate that it was the end of the day — kids can only work a certain number of hours, and she would hate that. She would ask the producers, “Please, please, can I stay over?”

What aspects will you miss the most about Wolverine?

I’ll miss being on a set with this man (gesturing to Patrick Stewart). When I began this in 1999, I was a little star-struck. I dreamed of one day doing Shakespeare with this man, and there I was on a set with Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. I assumed all films were like theater — in theater, everyone becomes very close and like a family. In our first movie we became very close and like a family. I’ve since learned that’s not the case; in films it’s often a more isolated experience. I like to think there’s such a thing as an art of living, and I’ve learned a lot about being on a set, but also a lot about life, from this man.

What spawned the initial idea for Logan?

I had dinner with Jerry Seinfeld one night, I was just asking him why he had decided to finish his show at the time. He said that, creatively, it’s very important not to run yourself dry. Don’t keep going until you’ve completely run out of ideas, because if you still have ideas, it propels you to the next creative thing.

As he said that to me, I knew: I woke up at 4 a.m., it wasn’t because of a hangover — I know I’m Australian — but it was 4 a.m., I woke up with a very clear idea of the tone and direction of the movie. I know that was reported, I guess they assumed, “Oh, it’s Hugh, it’s 4 in the morning, he must be hung over.” (Laughs)

How does it feel, this being the last time to put on the claws?

This being the last was a gut feeling for me. I had ruled out another chance, so the stakes were higher for me. I didn’t know how I felt about it until I saw the final movie. I was a bit of a pain in the neck to James, saying I can’t tell you how many times, “Just trust me, trust me.”

But watching the final premiere in Berlin, when I saw it with James and Patrick next to me, I grabbed Patrick’s hand and felt such gratitude and, I’ll admit, emotion; it felt so gratifying, relieving, and satisfying. It feels right. It’s a really good feeling. Someone said to me today, “Oh, you’re leaving now, you’ll never be part of it again.” I said, “Oh no, it won’t leave me. It’s like we’ll still be at the table eating, it’s just someone else will be cooking.’ It’s great!”