Hugh Jackman has earned a reputation for not only being one of the most hardworking actors in show business but for also being one of the kindest. With that, Jackman’s sheer generosity manifests itself in various ways whenever he’s working on a set. The A-lister’s kindness is particularly evident through one of his long-held traditions – “Scratchy Fridays.” At first glance, fans may think this event is related to the X-Men character Jackman’s long played and, while it happened on the Deadpool & Wolverine set, too, there’s more to this.
Actors tend to pick up some interesting habits whenever they’re working on sets – some of which can be good and some not-so-positive for those around said star. However, I definitely wouldn’t mind being on set with Hugh Jackman during a Scratchy Friday. That’s because, on those days, Jackman buys scratch-off lottery tickets for the entire cast and crew. On the surface, such a habit may seem a bit random but, to me, it's incredibly sweet.
Naturally, fans may wonder just how and why the Greatest Showman star decided to start this tradition. Well, it seems it began at some point during the early 2000s. Jackman discussed his special Fridays while speaking at a press conference (which is on YouTube) in 2015 for the movie Pan. The Australian actor explained at the time that his sweet ticket distribution was born from his way of trying to acclimate to American-run movie sets:
When I first started working on big, American movies, it was uncomfortable for me how segregated everything was, because they were so massive. And I was used to the Australian – similar to making movies [here in London], where there’s no stand-ins, you know? …. You’re standing with the crew for an hour and got to know everyone, and I sort of preferred that. There were no trailers, no one went off to their trailer, you just hung on set. So I just realized halfway through my first movie there was a good half of the crew I just never really came into contact with, and I didn’t like that feeling. And so I invented this sort of, I suppose, tradition.
At the time, Hugh Jackman went on to say that he learned that since he started the tradition, one person won $1,500. Jackman joked that that fact lent credibility to the notion that “if you’re looking to get rich, don’t buy a lotto scratchy ticket.” Still, Jackman’s gesture prevails and, in 2024, he posted to Instagram about taking part in Scratchy Friday while filming Deadpool & Wolverine (which is streamable with a Disney+ subscription). While he said he couldn’t remember why he started it, he still had a sweet take:
The Miss Congeniality auditionee deserves credit for sticking to his lovely tradition for so long, and I would imagine that such an occasion could boost morale on set. Considering how much Jackman has had on his plate over the last year or so, I’d imagine there have been plenty of beneficiaries of his Friday treat. Jackman is headlining Song Sung Blue, which is set to be released amid the 2025 movie schedule. He’s also shot The Sheep Detectives and The Death of Robin Hood, for which he sports a wild mustache.
Right now, there’s still no official word as to when or how Jackman might return to the role of Wolverine, though rumors suggest the character will not only be back but stick around for a while. If or when Jackman returns to a Marvel set, though, I’d expect him to treat all of his colleagues to plenty of scratch-offs.
Anyone who’d like to see Hugh Jackman’s latest film will need to buy a (movie) ticket to see Song Song Blue, which opens in theaters on December 25. Also, Jackman’s various X-Men movies can be streamed on Disney+.
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