Hugh Jackman on his admiration for King Charles, his feud with Ryan Reynolds and the challenges of being a dad
Hugh Jackman has told Sky News he’d love King Charles to join him for a cameo in the new Deadpool movie.
The Wolverine star – who is reprising his X-Men role for the third film in the franchise about a foul-mouthed anti-hero – has a jokey rivalry with Ryan Reynolds who plays the title character.
He joked it’s that friendly feud which has given him mixed feelings about returning to the role – and invited the monarch to give him a hand.
Hugh Jackman. Pic: Black Bear Pictures/See-Saw Films
“It’s mainly joy and excitement and fun [but] I have trepidation in that I have many, many hours every day with Ryan Reynolds.” Jackman laughed.
“That’s going to be a real mental health stretch for me, but I don’t know, maybe we’ll get King Charles in there to do a cameo.
“What do you think, Your Majesty – little cameo? You’re welcome to punch Ryan Reynolds as many times as you like, Your Majesty.”
Promoting his latest film, The Son, the Australian actor said that as he’s also a British citizen the Royal Family is very much part of his own family’s history.
“I remember even when Lady Di and Prince Charles got married, I remember my father making us all come down,” he said.
“We had to watch television that night and he popped champagne, and it was very important to him.
“I wish the new monarch all the best – it’s an insurmountable role to take on and I admire him for taking it on, and I wish him all the best.”
Zen McGrath. Pic: Black Bear Pictures/See-Saw Films
Jackman also talked about the way his life has been impacted by his latest film role.
While it’s not uncommon for film stars to see work forcing them to have time away, master a new skill or change their physical appearance, it’s not so usual for them to admit to their relationship with their own children being changed because of a character they’ve played.
The 54-year-old said making The Son – in which he plays the father of a depressed teenager – has given him a new perspective on being a dad to his own children, Oscar, 22 and Ava, 17.
“Any parent knows it’s the most humbling thing you can ever do.
“It pushes your buttons more than anything else, and it somehow brings out a fear and a worry that is so hard to handle, and I’ve become a different parent because of this film.”
The star went on to explain how being in the movie has changed the way he speaks to his children.
“I find I’m more often saying, ‘I don’t know’ or ‘give me a second’, ‘I don’t know what to do’, ‘I’m thinking this, but I’m also thinking that’ and it really disarms them, actually, particularly when we’re getting into a fight.
“And also, to tell them things that I’m feeling that has nothing to do with them, because I don’t want them to think I’m mad with them, and if I’m worried about something else, I explain to them what I’m going through.
“So, it’s changed things for me, for sure.”
Sir Anthony Hopkins. Pic: Black Bear Pictures/See-Saw Films
The Son is the second directorial feature from filmmaker Florian Zeller, whose debut The Father was critically acclaimed, winning Oscars for best adapted screenplay and best actor for star Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Jackman says it was him that approached Zeller about starring in his next project, despite having some “doubts” about the role.
“I actually reached out to the director, like I chased this one down because I just really, really wanted to play the part.
“I loved the story, I love Florian as a filmmaker, as a writer – The Father was incredible and so I was passionate about doing it and also daunted.
“I remember going to have my first talk with him, which he ended up casting me from, thinking I’m equally terrified to get the part and not to get the part because it’s a kind of character I don’t get offered a lot.”
It’s surprising to think of Jackman doing something he’s not done before – in a varied career spanning almost thirty years he’s become the longest running Marvel star as Wolverine/Logan, stolen hearts in Baz Luhrmann’s Australia and showcased his musical talents in Les Miserables and The Greatest Showman.
However, he says he certainly doesn’t feel as though he’s mastered his craft.
“I never feel, to be honest, that I’ve done it all or ‘ah this is a breeze’,” Jackman admitted.
“It never feels easy for me.
“[The Son] was just, it felt like something I rarely get a chance to do, and I relished every minute of it.”
In the film, Jackman’s character struggles to understand his son’s mental health issues.
(R-L): Jackman and Vanessa Kirby. Pic: Black Bear Pictures/See-Saw Films
The teen, played by Zen McGrath, is skipping school and finding it increasingly hard to function.
Jackman says he’s extremely sympathetic to young people who are finding it hard to cope.
“It’s so hard to be a teenager, and I think particularly with the pandemic, I think it’s incredibly difficult,” he said.
“There’s social media, all these things that are so different than what we grew up with, it was hard for me growing up as a teenager – it’s a really difficult time for any kid, I think – but I would say right now it’s the hardest it’s ever been – that’s my sense of it.
“And yet, having said that, I think there’s real hope, I feel that the younger generation, those teenagers are much more open about talking about things, they’re much more fluid and less judgemental about what group you’re in or what sexuality you have – they don’t care about any of that stuff and so I see a lot of hope, but I think it’s really difficult for them.”
Despite recognising how tough things are now, the star also admits there are certain aspects of life now that he would have appreciated when he was younger, and toxic masculinity prevented some honest exchanges.
“Thankfully, we are getting better at having open conversations about being more vulnerable, about accepting that we don’t have all the answers, about relying on other people for help,” Jackman said.
“All of these things, I think, are long overdue.
“And, you know, I wish I could have had those conversations when I was a teenager.”
Click to subscribe to Backstage wherever you get your podcasts
After his award-winning role in Zeller’s previous film, Sir Anthony Hopkins returns in a cameo part in The Son – playing a different character and the father of Jackman’s character Peter.
They have one, long scene together, with Jackman describing the veteran as an “acting hero” of his.
“I think the thing I learned most, that I admired about him most was that he was the first one to turn up on set before any crew member turned up he was there,” he explained.
“He woke up at 3:30 in the morning so excited that he just went to work and he arrived at like 4am or something – the security guard was there, no one else and he just waited and then he was so good that we finished at like 11:30 in the morning.
“The scene was done and he asked the director if he could go again and I said to [Zeller] ‘Why do you think he’s going again?’ He said, ‘I think he just misses acting’ – because of the pandemic he hadn’t acted, so he just wanted to get out there and do it and he loves it.”
The Son is out in UK cinemas now.
Entertainment
BAFTA Games Awards: Astro Bot tops leaderboard – with psychological horror close behind
Astro Bot was the big winner at this year’s BAFTA Games Awards, taking home five prizes, including the coveted best game.
The 3D platformer, which was launched to critical acclaim in September to mark PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, was nominated for eight gongs, while Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, led with 11 nods.
But in the end, the critics – some of whom had dubbed Astro Bot a “perfect game” – were right as it dominated the awards at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, hosted by comedian Phil Wang for the second year running.
Astro Bot. Pic: Team Asobi
Nicolas Doucet with his five awards for Astro Bot. Pic: PA
BAFTAs for audio achievement, game design, animation, and best family game completed the set for developers Team Asobi, who designed multiple galaxies and dozens of levels for the titular Astro to journey through, retrieving spaceship parts and rescuing lost robots.
“We’re a team based in Japan, but we have over 12 nationalities. We really mix it up and get ideas from everyone,” Nicolas Doucet, president of Team Asobi, told Sky News.
“We do a lot of jokes in the game, but the joke has a different meaning depending on where you are in the world. So it’s really, really nice to go around and ask everyone ‘is that joke fine in your country?’ And then together we come to a kind of universal playfulness.”
Among the gongs for Astro Bot was the best game award. Pic: BAFTA
It’s a very different atmosphere than that generated by British psychological horror Still Wakes The Deep, which won three awards for best new intellectual property and best supporting and leading roles.
Compared to John Carpenter’s 1980 sci-fi horror The Thing but on a Scottish oil rig, the game sees players take on the role of an electrician trapped on a damaged facility while being pursued by monsters.
Still Wakes The Deep. Pic: Sumo Digital Limited
Developer The Chinese Room has been praised for using home-grown talent to voice the characters, including comedian and actress Karen Dunbar, who picked up best performer in a supporting role for voicing Finlay.
“I’ve been nominated for quite a few BAFTAs in my time in Scotland, and I’ve never won one,” said Dunbar.
“It was such a great category, so many great performances. When they shouted my name, I think I started clapping for someone else!”
Read more: See full list of winners
Still Wakes The Deep star Karen Dunbar won best performer in a supporting role. Pic: BAFTA
Meanwhile, best multiplayer game went to Helldivers II – a satirical, sci-fi shooter that sees players fight bugs, aliens and robots with the gumption and gullibility of the characters in Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers.
It has gained a cult following since launching in February 2024 with so much initial interest it created server problems.
“Games for me are about connecting people and forging those bonds of friendship and the multiplayer award is exactly what it stands for,” said Johan Pilestedt, chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios.
Helldivers II. Pic: Arrowhead/Sony
From outer space to a fictional Yorkshire town called Barnsworth. Thank Goodness You’re Here! – a cartoonish, comedy platformer – won Best British Game. Like Still Wakes The Deep, it has won praise for the authenticity of its actors and setting.
“I think it’s been a real privilege to be able to represent Barnsley on the silver screen,” said Will Todd, who is from the town and one of two game designers behind the project.
Thank Goodness You’re Here! Pic: Coal Supper/Panic Inc
Co-creator James Carbutt added: “Me and Will wrote everything in our tone of voice, quite literally. The further along development we got, the more we lent into it. I think the voices from different parts of the UK and different voices in gaming are super important, and hopefully we’re one of them.”
By the time the BAFTAs wrapped up, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II was only handed one of the 11 BAFTAs it was nominated for, technical achievement.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Pic: Ninja Theory
But developers Ninja Theory are already adding this year’s win to a tally of five BAFTAs they were awarded for the first game in the series, which created a protagonist with psychosis by drawing on clinical neuroscience and the experiences of people living with the condition.
Blondie drummer Clem Burke has died at the age of 70
The band said Blurke had been diagnosed with cancer, and described his death as a “profound loss”.
He featured on all the Debbie Harry-fronted group’s studio albums since joining a year after their formation in 1975.
Blurke was with the band from their self-titled debut, through their 1978 classic Parallel Lines, to 2017’s Pollinator.
Drummer Burke.
Pic: Reuters
In a statement on Blondie’s Instagram, Harry and the band’s guitarist, Chris Stein, said: “It is with profound sadness that we relay news of the passing of our beloved friend and bandmate Clem Burke following a private battle with cancer.
“Clem was not just a drummer, he was the heartbeat of Blondie.
“His talent, energy, and passion for music were unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable.
“Beyond his musicianship, Clem was a source of inspiration both on and off the stage. His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
“Clem’s influence extended far beyond Blondie, a self-proclaimed ‘rock and roll survivalist’, he played and collaborated with numerous iconic artists.”
Burke in his performance at Festival Estereo Picnic 2023.
Pic: AP
Burke featured on Iggy Pop’s 1982 album Zombie Birdhouse and also performed with Bob Dylan, The Ramones, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend and Joan Jett.
The statement went on to say Burke had left an “indelible mark on every project he was part of”.
It added: “We extend our deepest condolences to Clem’s family, friends, and fans around the world. His legacy will live on through the tremendous amount of music he created and the countless lives he touched.”
Burke, who performed on classic tracks such as Call Me, Heart Of Glass and One Way Or Another, made his final live appearance with Blondie last year.
Read more from Sky News:
King arrives in Rome for Italy tour with Queen after health concerns
Global bank chiefs hold talks over Trump tariffs crisis
Blondie performing during Glastonbury Festival in 2023.
Pic: Invision/AP
Among those paying tribute to him was Kinks guitarist Dave Davies, who said: “I feel saddened that Clem Burke was taken from us so soon.
“May he rest in peace, spectacular drumming, we were friends.”
Nancy Sinatra said: “My heart is shattered. Clem became an icon as a member of Blondie, but he was also an important part of my band, the K.A.B. I was blessed to call him my friend.
“If I ever needed him, he was there. Always. Sending healing prayers and comfort to his widow, Ellen, his family, and all who loved him.”
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway