INTERVIEW: Hugh Jackman Would 'Slit Wrists' If He Worked Behind The Camera

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Hugh Jackman on set of REAL STEEL

Despite the many delays in the Wolverine sequel, Hugh Jackman isn't discouraged about the Marvel movie, but if he was the one behind the camera -- he definitely would have lost his mind. He calls the business of movie-making exciting, but volatile.  

CineMovie sat down with the hunky star in Beverly Hills for his latest film REAL STEEL in which he plays a small-time promoter in the new high-tech sport of robot boxing.  He said REAL STEEL came together rather quickly and the only thing that worried him about the movie from executive producers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis was finding the right young actor to play his son, which they did in Dakota Goyo.

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The Wolverine follow up, on the other hand, has been anything but "easy breezy."  First director Darren Aronofsky left the film due to personal reasons last year; then new director James Mangold (Walk the Line, Kate & Leopold) requested a rewrite of the Christopher McQuarrie (Usual Suspects) script; and the incliment weather in Japan further delayed the production earlier this year.  With Hugh scheduled to shoot Les Miserables next, the start of The Wolverine  production will start sometime early next year to meet the release date in 2013.

CineMovie asked the Australian actor whether director Darren Aronofsky's departure or the numerous delays discouraged him from making the movie or whether he saw it as a bad omen.  The REAL STEEL star says he never thought of it that way, but he did become frustrated with the mounting problems. He pointed out that all of the X-Men movies have always experienced some kind of trouble since day one.

"My experience with X-Men, particularly X-Men... I don't know why... There's never been an easy ride."
Movie-making in Hollywood, according to Hugh, is a business with a lot of uncertainty and he's glad he's an actor and not a filmmaker or studio executive.
"You gotta stick with it and try to trust your instincts on why you're doing it and know that any movie that gets made is a miracle. I never really take it for granted. It's an exciting business, but I'm glad I'm on this side of the camera because if I were on the other side, I'd want to slit my wrists.

He learned not to judge things based on first impressions when he first started riding horses back in Australia. "First impressions don't matter," says Hugh. His first ride on the horse was the most uncomfortable, but it turned out to the "best" ride of his life.

We can't wait for Hugh to get back up on the saddle with Wolverine.  In the meantime, Hugh Jackman can be seen in REAL STEEL in theatres October 7, 2011.

 

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