While the search is still on for the 2019 Oscars host, Hugh Jackman revealed in a recent interview that he enjoyed the gig and would consider doing it again. After all, hosting the Oscars is what directly led the actor to get involved with the project that would eventually become The Greatest Showman. Per Jackman:
Yeah, yeah 2009. I would do it again. They inquired about me doing it again a couple of times but I was working. [It was with Bill Condon] and Larry Mark. And actually it was after that that Larry Mark said, 'We should really do a movie musical.' He said, 'Why don't we do P.T. Barnum?' And I was like, 'OK.' That's how long ago that was! I didn't know it would take us nine years, eight years.
We've known since The Greatest Showman started doing press over a year ago that the popular movie musical was a long time in the making. People involved with the production have talked over and over again about the process of putting the movie together, with director Michael Gracey even telling CinemaBlend that the process took way longer once a script was produced and it was determined it would be better off as a musical.
So I read the script, and I kept going back to it and saying, 'Look, if you're going to put The Greatest Showman above your head on the poster, then you should really play to your strengths.' And I grew up watching him in Australia doing musicals. So I said, 'It should really be a musical.' And that really naïve remark cost me seven years of my life.
Speaking to Deadline's The Actor's Side, Hugh Jackman also revealed he would be interested in hosting the Oscars again, although he has been busy when asked to repeat the experience previously. That's an interesting wrinkle, considering it hasn't been super popular for anyone in Hollywood to admit they actually enjoyed or would consider hosting the Oscars in recent weeks.
After Kevin Hart stepped down from hosting the Oscars thanks to some old Tweets resurfacing, the likes of Oprah, Steve Harvey and even Sandra Bullock have talked about how thankless the gig is.
Regardless, Hugh Jackman seems to be a tryer and beyond that, he's generally amiable about most projects he's asked about. So, it's not a huge shock that he'd be positive about his 2009 experience.
In the meantime, however, he's pretty busy. Hugh Jackman actually announced a one-man show that's going to incorporate music from The Greatest Showman, Les Miserables and more. Not bad for a project that started out as a dream stemming from an Oscars gig.
The Academy Awards this year will air on February 24, 2019 at 8 p.m. ET. For the latest movies, take a look at our movie premiere schedule.
