When Hugh Jackman Recalled Russell Crowe Rejected X-Men’s Wolverine & Bagging The Role 9- Months Of Auditioning It: “I Never Thought I Was Getting The Part”
Hugh Jackman has revealed that he was only cast in the role of X-Men’s Wolverine after it was turned down by Russell Crowe. Read on
Not Hugh Jackman But Russell Crowe Was The First Choice For X-Men’s Wolverine?(Photo Credit –Instagram/Imdb)
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Hugh Jackman is one of the most well-known actors in Hollywood. He is perhaps known for his performance as Wolverine in X-Men series. While we may never imagine another actor playing the role, he was not the first choice for the film. In fact, Russell Crowe was also in the race to bag the role.
Two decades ago, the Australian actor embarked on his journey as the Marvel superhero in Bryan Singer’s inaugural X-Men film. Reflecting on those early days, he recalled being among the “thousands of individuals” hailing from various corners of the globe who auditioned fervently for the coveted role.
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During a conversation with The Daily Beast, Hugh Jackman said, “I believe I was put in the mix early on. Dougray Scott got the part, but Russell turned it down – that’s the second role I’ve gotten that Russell’s turned down. He’s been very good to me, Russ. The other one was Australia.”
For the unversed, directed by Baz Luhrmann and released in 2008, Australia featured the collaborative talents of Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman in leading roles.
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Further recalling his experiences trying out for Wolverine, Jackman said: “I actually got the part nine months after I’d first auditioned for it. I only went back and auditioned again after Dougray Scott got caught up on Mission: Impossible II, so I had no idea who was going for it nor did I expect to get it. I never thought I was getting the part. I had no idea it was going to happen.”
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Subsequently, Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of Wolverine spanned nine X-Men movies, with the journey reaching its pinnacle in 2017’s “Logan” – a project he has firmly asserted marked his farewell to the character. Interestingly, Dougray Scott disclosed that his missed opportunity to play Wolverine resulted from Tom Cruise‘s refusal to release him from the Mission: Impossible II set due to production delays.
“He was like, ‘You’ve got to stay and finish the film’ and I said I will, but I’ll go and do that as well. For whatever reason he said I couldn’t. He was a very powerful guy. Other people were doing everything to make it work,” Scott recalled.
