Hugh Jackman on his admiration for King Charles, his feud with Ryan Reynolds and the challenges of being a dad

Published

2 years ago

February 25, 2023

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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.

“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.”

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.”

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.

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.”

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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

Paul Mescal says being the star of Gladiator II as it premieres in London is ‘absolutely, wildly overwhelming’

Published

20 hours ago

November 13, 2024

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Paul Mescal says being the star of Gladiator II as it premieres in London is 'absolutely, wildly overwhelming'

Gladiator II star Paul Mescal has said bringing Sir Ridley Scott’s legacy sequel to the big screen has been a “wildly… overwhelming” experience.

The star was speaking to Sky News on the red carpet at the film’s royal premiere which was attended by His Majesty the King, who had earlier hosted members of the film and TV industry at a Buckingham Palace reception.

When asked about making the move from indie films, like All Of Us Strangers and Aftersun, into one of the most eagerly anticipated films this year, Mescal said: “I’m excited to play with what the audience is expecting of me.”

“The royal audience is one thing… I think we’ve seen how an audience responded to the film, royal or not, and I think we’re excited for people to see it.”

A whole 24 years after Sir Ridley Scott’s Roman blockbuster starring Russell Crowe, Mescal plays Lucius who, much like the original, finds himself trying to win back his freedom after powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home.

With an actual-scale model of the Colosseum built for the production, the film comes with high costs and a lot of hype.

“I’m struggling with words at the moment,” Mescal admitted, taking in the occasion, having come from the champagne reception at Buckingham Palace.

“This has been an absolutely, wildly – I keep using the word overwhelming – but I think if this isn’t slightly overwhelming then I don’t know what the hell is. I’m having a great time.”

Sir Ridley explained his reason for casting Mescal was that he saw aspects of “a young Albert Finney” in him.

While the pressure is on for the sequel to do well at the box office, the director said he’s learnt how to deal with the weight of expectations over the years.

“Any film of [this] scale, it doesn’t matter how we play it down, it’s colossally stressful. You better embrace stress or don’t do the job.”

Before heading to the premiere, the King welcomed directors, actors, TV presenters, stunt performers and costume designers at the palace to mark the centenary of the Film and TV Charity, of which Charles has become patron.

Sir Ridley, actor Joseph Fiennes, actress India Amarteifio from the hit Netflix show Queen Charlotte, and TV presenter Claudia Winkleman were among the celebrities who attended the event.

Gladiator II is in cinemas on 15 November.

Entertainment

Actor Timothy West has died, aged 90

Published

1 day ago

November 13, 2024

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Actor Timothy West has died peacefully in his sleep aged 90, “with his friends and family at the end”.

He was known for many roles in television and the theatre, including popular soaps Coronation Street and EastEnders.

Husband to 92-year-old Prunella Scales – who played Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers – the pair travelled together on UK and overseas canals in the Channel 4 series Great Canal Journeys.

His children Juliet, Samuel and Joseph West, said in a statement issued by his agent: “After a long and extraordinary life on and off the stage, our darling father Timothy West died peacefully in his sleep yesterday evening. He was 90 years old.

“Tim was with friends and family at the end. He leaves his wife Prunella Scales, to whom he was married for 61 years, a sister, a daughter, two sons, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. All of us will miss him terribly.

“We would like to thank the incredible NHS staff at St George’s Hospital, Tooting and at Avery Wandsworth for their loving care during his last days.”

He was the winner of an RTS television award for his lead role in Churchill And The Generals, released in 1979, according to imdb.com.

In his career, he played Winston Churchill three times, including in The Last Bastion (1984) and in Hiroshima (1995).

West was also nominated for best actor in the 1976 BAFTAs for his part as Edward VII in the historical drama.

Four years later, he was nominated in the same category for a number of roles, including as best actor in Crime And Punishment.

After a small part as Eric Babbage in Coronation Street in 2013, West appeared in 2014 for the first time as Stan Carter in EastEnders.

He also held other popular TV roles, such as in BBC comedy-drama Last Tango In Halifax.

In the long-running BBC comedy, Not Going Out, he played Geoffrey, the father of Lucy Adams, played by Sally Bretton.

In comedy-drama Brass, he was the ruthless self-made businessman Bradley Hardacre, playing the role from 1982 to 1984 before returning for a third series in 1990.

In 2019, the Bradford-born actor played Private Godfrey in Dad’s Army: The Lost Episodes, a recreation of three missing episodes of the BBC comedy Dad’s Army.

He was also a regular performer of Shakespeare, playing Lear in 2016 and 2002.

Entertainment

Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? – 40th anniversary track revealed

Published

1 day ago

November 13, 2024

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Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas? - 40th anniversary track revealed

An “ultimate” version of Band Aid’s famous festive hit Do They Know It’s Christmas? is set to be released to mark the song’s 40th anniversary, featuring the voices of original singers as well as younger artists.

The track will feature voices from Band Aid 1984 including George Michael, Sting and Boy George, alongside the likes of Harry Styles, Chris Martin, the Sugababes, and Ed Sheeran, who appeared on the Band Aid 20 and Band Aid 30 versions in 2004 and 2014.

It will also feature the vocals of a young Bono, who recorded the song’s famous line – “Well tonight thank God it’s them, instead of you” – singing with his older self.

The singers will be backed by the Band Aid house band of Sir Paul McCartney, Sting, Duran Duran’s John Taylor, Phil Collins, Queen’s Roger Taylor, Supergrass’s Danny Goffey, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood, Paul Weller, Damon Albarn, Midge Ure, Gary Kemp and Justin Hawkins.

Other voices to feature on the 40th anniversary remix include Sam Smith, Elbow’s Guy Garvey, Rita Ora, Bananarama, Seal, Sinead O’Connor, Robbie Williams, Kool And The Gang and Underworld, with proceeds going to the Band Aid Trust.

And in a new video, the late David Bowie will introduce the song’s stars, with newsreader Michael Buerk’s BBC report on the song also featuring.

The history of Band Aid

Led by Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof and Ultravox’s Ure, the original Band Aid single saw artists join forces in 1984 to help charities working with starving children in Ethiopia.

The song went straight to the top of the charts that year and at the time held the record as the fastest-selling single of all time in the UK, selling a million copies in the first week alone.

It remained at number one for five weeks and went on to sell more than three million copies.

The movement led to the famous Live Aid concerts around the world the following year, with artists including Queen, Bowie and Sir Elton John performing at Wembley in the UK.

Do They Know It’s Christmas? was released again with different generations of stars over the decades, to raise money for other causes.

In 1989, Stock Aitken and Waterman produced Band Aid II, featuring just two of the artists from the song’s first iteration – Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward of Bananarama.

Band Aid 20 raised funds for Sudan’s Darfur region, while the 30th anniversary supported those helping throughout the 2014 Ebola crisis.

In celebration of this monumental “instrument of change”, producer Trevor Horn has taken the recordings and blended all the voices “into one seamless whole”, organisers said.

The Do They Know It’s Christmas – 2024 Ultimate Mix will premiere on UK breakfast radio and streaming on 25 November, the 40th anniversary of the day artists went into the recording studio to create the original song. It will also be released physically on CD and vinyl on 29 November.

It will feature on a compilation also including the other recordings, plus the Live Aid Wembley 1985 version.

Artist Sir Peter Blake, 93, who designed the original sleeve – featuring a collage of Christmas card images alongside a hungry child – has returned to create the new cover.