Acting [related] Quotes
--[On acting and why he became an actor]"I think I was 5 and singing 'Camelot' on stage. It was always a good way to meet girls. I did musicals, plays. My school encouraged it. We'd do our own productions. It wasn't until I was about 23 that I thought, 'I could give this a shot. I might as well do it.' I was a little slow on the uptake."
--[Referring to his enrollment in acting school three days a week] "That year was what solidified my love of acting for me, my respect, my dedication to the craft of acting. And then I thought, 'This isn't just fun; it's an honorable profession in its highest form.'"
--[On acting]"It dawned on me that acting was what I wanted to do with my life. Nothing had ever touched my heart like acting did."
--[On acting]"Acting is something I love. It's a great craft that I have a lot of respect for. But I don't think it's any greater challenge than teaching 8 year olds or any other career. In my life, I try not to make it more important than it is and I just hope that rubs off on the people around me."
--[On acting]"I’m an actor who believes we all have triggers to any stage of emotion. It’s not always easy to find but it’s still there."
--[On the worries of fame]"I'm not a kid. You don't get in this business for anonymity. It's not like I have posters of myself on the wall, but at the same time, I'm kind of ready for a little bit of it (fame), but I worry for my little one, and my family -- their privacy. That's what I'm more protective of."
Personal Life
--[On being a dad]"Becoming a father, I think it inevitably changes your perspective of life. ... I don't get nearly enough sleep. And the simplest things in life are completely satisfying. I find you don't have to do as much, like you don't go on as many outings. Before that, we'd go on holiday here and there. Apart from working, I'm just so happy to get home. I do a day's work and I miss him like crazy."
--[On his own father]"My father is a real idealist, and he's all about learning. If I asked for a pair of Nikes growing up, it was just a resounding 'No.' But if I asked for a saxophone, one would appear and next day and I'd be signed up for lessons. So anything to do with education or learning, my father would spare no expense. Anything else: 'You can go out and get a job.'"
--[On his private life]"My private life is actually pretty dull. I'm incredibly happily married. Mine is a one-story story, so I don't think I'm going to be hounded about my private life."
--[Referring to his marriage]"I have a terrific marriage, but unlike a lot of relationships where they ebb and flow, no matter what happens you fall deeper and deeper in love every day. It's kind of the best thing that can happen to you. It's thrilling."
--[On adopting]"We [Deb and Hugh] feel that there are so many kids who need adopting. We thought we'd do it after having a couple of our own, but we just changed our mind. He's a mixed-race baby - a child of the Universe."
--[Hugh on keeping himself humble] "It seemed whenever I was on the phone too long, Oscar (his infant son at the time) would be like, 'Feed me!'...I thought, 'He's got the right idea. He's got his feet on the ground.'" (People 8/00)
--[Referring to Deb]Jackman says, "She is the best mother in the world. I've sort of fallen in love with Deb all over again in a different way in watching her be a mother. It's not deeper than the love you had when she was just your wife. But it's a beautiful thing to watch that lioness protective quality that comes out."
X-Men [related] Quotes
--[An exprience with a 5-year-old X-Men Fan]"There was a whole display set up of all the X-Men paraphernalia. My wife couldn't resist telling this 5-year-old boy that I was Wolverine. The little kid looked up at me and he was staring at me. His father was kind of batting him away, saying 'You're Wolverine! So tell me about it! When's the movie coming out? This is great. I've been waiting ~ I mean, my son has been waiting for so long!' So I was kind of focusing on the kid and I said, 'So you watch X-Men?' He goes, 'Yeah.' I said, 'Who's your favorite character?' The child's response? Cyclops."
--[Referring to Wolverine action figures]"My friends say, 'Man you're going to have kids sleeping on pillowcases with your face on it! You're going to be on toothbrushes and magnets and stuff.' I guess now that I'm a dad, I'm thrilled about that. It's going to be fun."
--[Speaking of action figures] “I find it kind of scary because I know what I was like when I was a kid, I used to feed my action figures to the squids that were off of the bay I lived near. I tore off their arms and replaced them with other limbs, stuck them with pins, freezed them and did other awful things to them. Nothing struck me as more weird than to walk into my trailer and see a full-blown punching back of myself. That's probably going to be a prize possession for a few people that I know. There's some unnerving moments."
--[Having claws for playing Wolverine] "I miss having the claws. But, I have a little scar on my hand and there is a bigger one on my knee. With those nine inch claws, I was getting a little dangerous."
--[Referring to wearing the claws] Jackman said "Kind of the more I find out about it, the more of a responsibility and the more of an honor it is. Because this character in people's imagination is literally larger than life."
[On his commitment to the X-Men sequals]"I'm committed to the X-Men sequel and really look forward to doing it. I really loved making the first film, but to be honest, the first six weeks on it, I was really scared. I probably didn't want to admit it a year ago, but I think the biggest fear I had was that the fans to whom it meant so much would not like it or my character, and would feel let down."
--[On the love triangle between Logan, Jean, and Cyclops] "It's explored. Who wouldn't want her?" Jackman laughs. "She's kind of hot. It definitely explores Wolverine's flirtier side. Sometimes it's hard to tell, whether he's genuinely really attracted, or whether he enjoys flirting or whether he just enjoys pissing Cyclops off. It's probably a mixture of all three. The relationship with Jean Grey, it is sexual and he is sexually attracted, but he also really likes her - I mean, in a friendly sort of way. It all hovers in there."
--[On Wolverine's onscreen relationships with his teammates] "One of the key relationships in this movie that's being explored is the Rogue/Logan relationship. When he meets Rogue, he doesn't want a thing to do with her. She's just a doggerd little individual that sort of tags on. After a while, Logan - without wanting or expecting it - begins to care for this little girl, and this little girl looks up to him for protection in the world. Not only in the real world, but also in the world of mutants - even in Professor Xavier's school - she still looks up to him."