Sometimes actors get tough reviews for their performances, but sometimes their kids prove to be their harshest critics. In this case, Hugh Jackman, famously a song and dance man, was made fun of by his daughter for his moves. He was practicing for a scene in The Son where he has to dance, to which his daughter responded by saying it was “nerdy dad dancing.” That’s quite a statement when it’s about an actor who can legitimately dance well, and is even on Broadway right now tap dancing like a pro in The Music Man.
As The Music Man himself, Jackman is known for his musical inclination. From The Greatest Showman to Les Misérables he has appeared as a triple threat on both stage and screen. But no matter the accolades sometimes your kids can’t be impressed. He joked with EW about the reaction his daughter had to his dancing saying:
I did say to my daughter that I have this scene, and the only clue I have [for the character's approach] is that there's a famous hip sway. I said, 'I've been workshopping a few ideas, what do you think?' I started to do it and she goes, 'Dad, is the idea that you're doing nerdy dad dancing?’
Maybe his dancing in The Son is nerdy, but Hugh Jackman's history of dancing is anything but. The X-Men actor’s current gig in The Music Man sees him in the title role dancing along with Sutton Foster, a tap dance queen and Broadway icon. He spent months rehearsing and working hard to get the steps down, and it paid off. Once the musical finally opened after COVID delays, Jackman and the cast received a lengthy standing ovation for their performance.
Since then, he’s been performing in The Music Man and crushing his tap dancing. He even received a Tony nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. This skill sounds like it won’t be necessarily shown off in The Son since his moves are being described by his daughter as “nerdy dad dancing." But, he’s got the nerdy movies down, as Jackman joked explaining that she said:
You've got it, just roll the camera.
These moves as well as his overall performance seem to have paid off. Early reviews for The Son have been good and the film received a particularly outstanding ovation at the Venice Film Festival. The film is a follow-up to The Father which starred Anthony Hopkins. The follow-up also features Laura Dern, Vanessa Kirby and Zen McGrath, along with Jackman and Hopkins. Though his daughter may criticize his moves, Jackman’s overall performance has been praised by critics.
According to the 2022 movies schedule, The Son will hit theaters on Nov. 11. In the meantime you can check out the actor’s legitimately amazing moves in The Music Man through the end of the year on Broadway or check out some of Jackman’s best performances in some of the most popular musical movies of recent years.
