Hugh Jackman shot into superstardom thanks to the ‘X-Men’ films that began in 2000. He landed that role because the actor Dougray Scott was forced to pull out at the last minute. Sure, Jackman was able to take the role and make it iconic, instantly turning him into an A-lister, but you have to admit, that’s a pretty lucky break, nonetheless. And apparently, Jackman’s luck didn’t run out back then, as he was also able to find himself able to turn down a role in last year’s biggest film disaster, “Cats.”
When asked in a recent Daily Beast interview if he did, in fact, turn down a role in Tom Hooper’s dumpster fire of a film, Jackman simply replied, “Umm… yep.”
He added, “You know, Tom rang me early on because we did ‘Les Mis‘ together, and there were a couple of options there based on availability and time, and I really… yeah, I just wasn’t available at the time.”
However, don’t go to Jackman expecting him to bash “Cats.” As a respected man of the theater, he’s not here for that.
“I’m in the theater, man, and I don’t want to be in the business of bashing people—or jumping on bandwagons. I haven’t seen it, and Tom Hooper’s one of the great filmmakers we have,” Jackman explained.
Of course, the actor is probably best known for playing a character about as polar opposite as Rum Tum Tugger (a feline from “Cats,” for those lucky enough to avoid the film)—Logan, aka Wolverine. And with the ‘X-Men’ franchise seemingly getting another lease on life with the Disney purchase of Fox, Jackman is excited by the possibilities but doesn’t see himself returning to the superhero universe.
READ MORE: Dougray Scott Says Tom Cruise Wouldn’t Allow Him To Star As Wolverine In ‘X-Men’
“…if seven years ago that had happened I’d be like, ‘Oh yeah!’ but I knew it was the right time for me to leave the party—not just for me, but for the character,” he explained. “Somebody else will pick it up and run with it. It’s too good of a character not to. It’s kind of like, you’re on your way home and your friend rings you and goes, ‘Oh, dude, a new DJ just came on and the music is awesome, are you going to come back?’ And you say, ‘Sounds good but… no.’ They’re fine with someone else.”
Obviously, fans still have no idea what is happening with the ‘X-Men’ franchise under the watch of Kevin Feige. However, when you take into consideration that Jackman was able to nab the Wolverine role in the way he did, combined with his dodging of “Cats,” he very well might be the luckiest man in Hollywood.