As Logan has drawn Hugh Jackman's time as Wolverine to a close, there's been a lot of reflection on the work he's done in the 17 years he's put into the X-Men franchise. One of those memories deals with the fact that Jackman lacked one crucial piece of knowledge to guide his performance. The truth is, Hugh Jackman had no clue that wolverines actually existed, as he exhibits in the following recollection:
I didn't even know there was a wolverine. I literally, embarrassingly did about two weeks of research on wolves. I was rehearsing for three weeks and I was shooting, so I was kind of on my own. I remember going past an IMAX in Toronto, and there was an IMAX documentary about wolves, and so I thought, 'I'll go and see that.'
It takes a big man to admit that such a grievous error had been made, and sure enough director Bryan Singer noticed that his star was acting rather strange in his portrayal of Wolverine. When confronted by Singer, Hugh Jackman admitted to AP Press that he didn't know of the existence of wolverines. Bryan Singer's response was classic, as he gave Jackman the following piece of interesting, if not blunt, advice:
Go to the zoo, dude.
Oh, if only all of life's greatest mysteries could be solved by a trip to the local zoo. But in the case of Hugh Jackman, it was definitely information that he could use in his super-powered performance as the lynch-pin of the X-Men franchise up until this point. Still, you have to admit, the wolverine isn't exactly the most common animal, so it's semi-forgivable that Jackman wouldn't know of its existence. Though his research methods could have been a little more rigorous.
No matter his knowledge on mammalian lifeforms, Hugh Jackman turned the role of the man known as James "The Wolverine" Howlett into the tour-de-force that culminates in his swan song performance he gave in this year's Logan. So whatever mix of initially incorrect research, followed by corrections and revisions that he undertook, clearly paid off. Although, we do have to wonder if his roar of Berzerker rage is more on the wolf side or on the wolverine side of his skill set. If we have any zoologists out there reading this piece, feel free to set the record straight with us.
If you haven't had the chance to experience Logan for yourself, the film hits home video on Tuesday. If you're impatient, and would rather watch it now, then you can buy the Digital HD version, which is currently available for viewing, through all leading digital platforms.
