Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman was asked if he would be interested in playing the world’s most famous secret agent: James Bond. However, the actor declined the offer.
Many know Hugh Jackman for his iconic role as the X-Men superhero Wolverine.
With James Bond, the actor would have had the chance to take on another cult figure. In 2002, Pierce Brosnan ended his career as Bond, a role he portrayed in 4 films. The studio was looking for a new cast. However, Jackman turned down the offer, allowing Daniel Craig to take on the role of Bond.
Why Jackman turned down the tempting offer, he recently revealed in several interviews.
Another actress was also initially skeptical about whether she should take the role or not. The reason was Terminator Schwarzenegger:
Hugh Jackman asks a fellow actor for advice
In addition to Hugh Jackman, the role of James Bond is also offered to 6 to 8 other actors simultaneously to step into the shoes of actor Pierce Brosnan.
This is not yet a firm commitment, but the chance to take on the role, as the actor repeatedly emphasizes.
At that time, Hugh Jackman was fully occupied with X-Men. He also already knew that there would be a sequel to the superhero film with X-Men 2.
Since the offer is so tempting, he seeks another opinion. So he calls fellow actor Russel Crowe (Gladiator, 2000) to ask him, “What do you think I should do?”
The experienced colleague then gives him advice: Jackman should be aware of the direction his career would take should he agree.
Here you can watch an interview where Hugh Jackman tells the story:
“You should do something that you really love” is the advice given to Hugh Jackman. So the actor first gathers extensive information about the production, asks who the director is, and what the script looks like.
Hugh Jackman is not completely satisfied with the role and asks if some changes are possible:
I simply felt at the time that the scripts had become so incredibly and crazily out there, and I felt they needed to be grittier and more real.
And the response was: “Oh, you have no say. You just have to sign.”
Hugh Jackman via Variety
Another aspect also weighs on the actor’s mind: If Jackman had also taken on the role of James Bond, he would have been jumping back and forth between the two well-known franchises in the future. For other roles, the actor would then have had no time at all.
In the end, Hugh Jackman declined the offer and Daniel Craig made his Bond debut with Casino Royale in 2006.
Would you have liked to see Hugh Jackman as James Bond? Let us know in the comments.
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