“If I could have it my way, the centre of the universe would be in Sydney...”
Since he injuried himself in an unfortunate Oprah stunt last December, we haven’t seen much of Hugh Jackman in his home town. But this month, the North Shore’s favourite son can be spied in Wayne Wang’s female bonding piece Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, while in October he jumps into the ring with the fighting robots of Real Steel.
The films arrive not long after Jackman wound up a two-week season in Toronto of Hugh Jackman in Concert - a run-through of highlights of Oklahoma, The Boy from Oz and other musicals interspersed with Jackman’s commentary on his multi-stranded career. Heading back to Australia soon to promote Real Steel, Jackman spoke to Time Out about fitness, fatherhood and still calling Sydney home.
Hugh, just like Wolverine, Real Steel is another highly physical part. How do you stay in such great shape?
I love boxing – I grew up doing it. I do a lot of training still. I train at this gym. They train you as if you are preparing for a title fight, but you don’t get hit like a big fighter. That’s a perk.
We hear you worked with one of boxing’s all-time greats, Sugar Ray Leonard. What’s he like?
I was starstruck when I met Sugar Ray Leonard. He’s so good looking. I was very surprised. He’s very open as a person. I really wanted to find out what it’s like to celebrate a comeback. He was open to how lonely it was as a fighter. He talked to me about the relationship between the corner guy and the boxer. You have to get that look, he kept telling me.
Real Steel deals with fatherhood. We always see pictures of you playing around with your kids. You're setting the bar pretty high for all the dads out there...
I don’t know if I am the perfect Dad. But I am kind of a big kid myself. And as an actor I have permission to play. I like to think I am a better father than my character in this film - I mean, Charlie [Kenton] wasn’t even there for the first ten years of his kid’s life.
It’s well known that your father raised you [in Wahroonga] after your parents’ divorce, but did he have a lot of time for you?
There wasn’t a lot of deep talking and discussions when I grew up. My dad worked full-time as an accountant. For most time he was a single parent with five kids. He was an amazing man though. On holiday he would camp with us on the beach. Five kids in a tent on a beach! It must have been brutal for him. How did he do it? – I appreciate it a lot more today what he did for us.
How do you spend the holidays with your kids?
Much fancier! [laughs]. We are going to France, to Provence. We are renting a house down there. I like to get away from it all. I still like to go camping – but not on a beach.
Can someone who can get a round of applause for a one-line cameo in X-Men: First Class still really get away from it all?
Yes, I can. I am not in the Brad Pitt world. They leave me alone. Once every month there is a traffic jam for me; it doesn’t happen all the time. But I deal with it. I am OK with it.
You’ve recently launched your one-man song and dance show, Hugh Jackman in Concert, in Toronto. What is about you and multitasking?
I am not great at doing two things at the same time. I always want to do one thing at a time. I’m one of five kids, I’m used to chaos. And I like the feeling of family and chaos. But it’s better for me to focus on one thing at a time.
OK, but why do you keep going back on stage?
I love the connection with the audience when I do a play. I am afraid to lose my chops if I stay away too long from the stage.
Would you do the Oscars again?
Yeah, absolutely. But as I said I am a one-task kind of man. The Oscars take about a month to prepare.
Do you still get nervous when you work?
The one-man show is a little bit stressful. Anything you put out there that has your name on it raises the anxiety level.
Does it bother you when things don’t work out for you?
I was frustrated with Wolverine. I was 20 pounds bigger, all muscle, and I had to keep it going. I kept training, and they kept delaying the schedule.
How much time do you spend in Australia these days?
I make one or two trips a year. But my kids have started school in America.
Are you happy with them being schooled in the States?
Listen, if I could have it my way, the centre of the universe would be in Sydney. But I live in a great city in New York. My family is very well looked after. But I do know that the day my son [Oliver, 11] turns 18, he will head back to Australia. And I will be with him.
Why?
He just loves it. It’s as simple as that.
You are about to go to Japan to shoot Wolverine 2. What are your feelings about going there in the wake of the Fukushima debacle?
I am excited to go to Japan to shoot Wolverine 2. I am a very trusting person – they won’t send me to a place that’s not safe! And I am even more excited that Japan won the World Cup in women’s soccer. What a great achievement for this country. They needed that victory.
Is it true you’re a good cook?
I am good at making pancakes. I usually cook for my family on Sundays. They love it.
Do you want your kids to become actors?
I really want them to grow up and be happy human beings. But my son was an extra on the set of Australia. He went for four days and all he had to do is walk through the frame. Over and over again. Afterwards he came up to me and said that I have the most boring job in the world. What he still doesn’t know is that they paid him $320. Maybe if he finds out about the money, he will like it better.
What do you teach your kids about money?
I talk to them a lot about respect. Respecting people, respecting money. I don’t want money to rule their lives. I took my kids with World Vision to Cambodia - I wanted them to understand how blessed we really are. I don’t want them to feel that money is an issue, but I want them to have respect. It’s important to get a job and start contributing. But not yet. Only when they turn 12 [laughs].
What is the wrong reason to get involved in the entertainment industry?
Don’t become an actor because you like the fame and the money. You have to have passion for what you do.
Do you think you will always be in such great shape?
Listen, I will be playing a very fat man in Les Miserables. Finally – an excuse to just eat and not work out!
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