We love superheroes; they entertain and astound us with their flamboyant personalities, incredible abilities, and feats of bravery. And every so often, an actor comes along who is just as much of a hero off screen as he is on. This time around Hugh Jackman stood out as the greatest hero. Check it out.
Sitting in the recording booth of KIIS 106.5 in Australia, 9-year-old Domenic, who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis, had been given the opportunity to go on the radio by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The DJs Kyle and Jackie O begin discussing various superheroes, as the topic comes to Wolverine: Domenic’s favorite. Domenic explains that he loves the X-Men character because of his claws (replicas of which he even brought to the studio) and his ability to heal after near certain death. Eventually, the radio hosts decide to call up Jackman himself. Once on the phone, Domenic – unaware Jackman is in fact in the building – asks the actor about his favorite Wolverine "action pose and line," Jackman then uses the opportunity to burst into the studio, taking the awe-struck fan by surprise.
Their meeting is one that could melt the coldest of hearts. After a warm embrace, Jackman and Domenic talk about Wolverine, sharing favorite lines and poses. The two even joke about Jackman’s profanity in X-Men: First Class – although Jackman has enough sense not to repeat the line to a child on live radio. When all is said and done, Jackman invites Domenic and his family out to his show – which we can only assume represented one of the coolest moments of the boy’s entire life.
Despite being one of the very first stars to come out of the modern era of superhero movies – which began with 2000’s X-Men – Jackman’s commitment to his fans has clearly not flagged over the last fifteen years. He seems to recognize the part the fan play in his own success, and goes out of his way to engage them. This could range from anything as small as sharing his Wolverine workout routine, to earlier this summer when he opened up a dialogue with fans on Twitter to get their input as to what elements of the X-Men mythos his final standalone movie as Wolverine should feature.
The performer/fan relationship is symbiotic, and actors who remember that often thrive when they inhabit famous roles – such as Wolverine. Hugh Jackman may have gotten rich and famous off of the X-Men films, but the smiles he can bring to those who watch the films is what really matters.
