Hugh Jackman has admitted he struggled with aspects of reviving his iconic Marvel character in the forthcoming movie Deadpool and Wolverine.
The actor, 55, played the X-Men character in nine different films, concluding the character’s arc with the acclaimed 2017 film Logan.
However, Jackman is now set to return as Logan/Wolverine in the third Deadpool movie, opposite Ryan Reynolds.
Speaking to People while promoting Deadpool and Wolverine, Jackman admitted he had struggled with parts of his gruelling regime to revive the role.
“When I came back to it, it was really fun and I was thrilled. My body was a little sore at the beginning, but I was thrilled that my body was still responding,” he said.
“I realised how good it is for your brain. But the hardest bit…the food.”
The actor said he had always struggled to bulk up for film roles because it goes against his natural body type.
“I have to eat a lot,” he said. “For me, for my body type, I’m naturally skinny. To get the size on, that’s the hardest bit. That’s the bit that does my head in.”
Speaking alongside Jackman, Reynolds said he was shocked by the determination Jackman had shown while filming the most physical scenes for Deadpool and Wolverine.
“Just the sheer relentlessness that you dedicated yourself towards stunts, choreography,” he said.
“It was the first time I’d ever seen how invaluable a background in song and dance is when you are doing an action movie.”
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Reynolds said Jackman hit every mark in his fight scenes with “speed and confidence” in a way he’d never witnessed on a movie set, adding it was “the most impressive thing” he’d ever seen.
“I don’t care if you were 25, 35, 45 or 55. It was lightning,” he said.
Jackman recently revealed he signed on to reprise his role as Wolverine without speaking to his agent.
“I was on my way, I was just driving, and literally, just like a bolt of lightning, came this knowing deep in my gut that I wanted to do this film with Ryan,” Jackman told Fandango.
“For Deadpool and Wolverine to come back together. I swear to you, When I said I was done, I really thought I was done.
“But in the back of my head, ever since I saw Deadpool 1, I was like, ‘Those two characters together.’ I knew it, I knew the fans wanted it ever since I put on the claws, people talked about these two.
“So, that had always been there, but I just knew.”
Not everyone felt as strongly about the idea as Jackman, especially Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, who confirmed to Empire magazine he had warned Jackman against putting the claws back on.
“I said, ‘Let me give you a piece of advice, Hugh. Don’t come back’,” he said.
“‘You had the greatest ending in history with Logan. That’s not something we should undo.’”
Deadpool and Wolverine is released in cinemas on 26 July.
