Anna Paquin has acted alongside many former and current Hollywood stars over the decades. She watched an unknown Australian actor named Hugh Jackman go from a Hollywood unknown to a movie superstar. Two decades after Jackman’s Hollywood breakthrough role, Paquin reflected on filming X-Men with the then-unknown actor before film stardom and fame did not change him.
When Paquin joined the film as southern belle Rogue, she already had several hit movies and an Oscar win under her belt despite being a high school senior. Jackman, on the other hand, played Wolverine in the first X-Men movie, which was only his third feature film. Of course, his superstar moment almost didn’t happen because of doubts over Jackman's demeanor and physicality. Fortunately, things worked out for the Tony winner, which Paquin saw firsthand. The True Blood alum opened up to People about fame not changing him despite shooting to superstardom after playing everyone’s favorite curmudgeon mutant, saying:
That was the role that really turned him into a humongous, gigantic movie star, and it couldn't have happened to a more lovely guy. There are those people you meet and you think, 'They couldn't possibly be that nice,' and then they are. And he's exactly the same, as far as I can tell. He's one of those people who's a good role model for how to conduct yourself in this world. You can be all the big things and you can still be kind, be human, know what matters.
Paquin’s words echo many actors' sentiments about Jackman’s humbleness and charm over the years. The The Greatest Showman star became a household name and box office star after the first X-Men film’s tremendous success. Others might’ve gained a huge ego from the attention and fame, but Jackman has remained grounded and nice in his decades-long career. Jackman being a class act has kept him working in Hollywood and allowed him to jump from genre to genre.
The Hollywood A-lister has kept his reputation despite his “feud” with Ryan Reynolds. Jackman made a great joke at Reynolds’ expense after Deadpool 3 secrets leaked. Of course, Reynolds returned the favor by trolling the Son actor while reflecting on their time together on set. The faux tension masks a strong brotherhood between the two actors.
Of course, Hugh Jackman will play Wolverine once more in Deadpool & Wolverine after the character died in 2017’s Logan. The threequel will arrive in theaters on July 26. While Jackman’s private life has taken center stage lately, it is currently unknown what Jackman’s next project is. In the meantime, check out our movie schedule to see what new films are arriving this year. Don’t forget to rewatch all the X-Men movies through a Disney+ subscription.
