He presented the 81st Academy Awards in 2009. I traditionally watch the show every year since I was a little kid and I don’t remember having been entertained this much. His theatrics, jokes, presence were all just brilliant. He danced and sang like a pro. He was genuinely funny- I think the only guy who could do a funnier job is Jim Carrey but then again I am not sure Jim could pull of the dancing routine like Jackman.
It is amazing how far Hugh has come in his career. Not that he doesn’t deserve all of his popularity, but I just hadn’t seen it coming when I first saw him in the 2001 movie, Swordfish. Since then he has been in rom-coms, dramas, thrillers and action movies. He has done theater and played the lead in hit Broadway musicals. He has done movies both in his hometown Australia and in Hollywood. Though his biggest and role has been of Wolverine, one of the most popular characters in the X-men series. Although arguably Meg Ryan was the more famous one when they starred together in the 2001 flick Kate and Leopold, right now Hugh Jackman has a much stronger status.
He is just one of the lucky men in Hollywood whose adored both by men and women; by critics and movie-goers. He is breathtakingly gorgeous. I haven’t yet met a girl who thinks that he is not attractive. I remember being in the movie theater with two girl friends of mine, watching Swordfish. We have absolutely the most opposite taste in men yet we all simultaneously agreed that Hugh was hot. On the top of all this, he is a family man. He has been married to his first and only wife since 1996 and they are raising their kids together. Oh,well-as I said, everyone loves him. And his masculinity and strength are not questioned by his fellow co-stars. Ryan Reynolds– who plays Wade Wilson actually said that Hugh would probably win, were they to engage in wrestling.
Of course there are some of his old projects that I couldn’t get my hands on (like some of his earlier Australian work) and some movies of his that I didn’t enjoy all that much, such as The Fountain and Deception. But mostly, his movies entertain. They take you from your reality to the movie’s and he makes you believe whatever reality his movie is representing. Since this guy has done so much, I think it’s best if we just consider some examples from this decade.
X-men (2000)
He plays Wolverine. He’ll continue to play the role for three more movies, the second and third parts of the trilogy and X-men origins: Logan/Wolverine. He likes to be and work alone but he needs to join in the mutants team for the sake of Prof. Xavier and he also has the hots for Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), who is married to another X-men mutant: Scott/Cyclops (James Marsden). The plot is just to good to go into the specifics and X-men shall have their own posts.
Swordfish (2001)
John Travolta makes a great villain. He’s tough, he’s crazy and he’s fun to watch. You just keep your fingers crossed that hacker Stanley Jobson can pull off everything so that he can save himself and others from the potential wrath of the psychotic Gabriel (Travolta) and his not so pleasant surprises.
(2001) Kate & Leopold
Kate (Ryan)’s neighbor/ex-boyfriend Stu (Liev Schreiber) discovers a time travel portal and manages to be tracked down by someone from 1870s: Leopold. Leopold’s process of adjustment to today’s life in New York is hilarious. Meanwhile, Kate is thinking that she always has attracted crazy men. After all, Leopold acts just like himself. Still, Leo is handsome, gentle and has a unique character. Little does she know that the uniqueness does comes from a different era…
Van Helsing (2004):
Jackman plays the famous monster hunter Van Helsing, fighting the ultimate bottle with the help of Anna (Kate Beckinsale)
(2006) The Prestige
Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale play the rival magicians- one has the ultimate secret of a breath-taking trick and the other will do anything to get it. Great twists and turns however the ending really let me down.
(2008) Australia
It’s not your typical Buz Luhrmann movie. It is epic and in some senses it i much more traditional than his other works like Romeo and Juliet or Moulin Rouge. However it is beautiful- with performances and cinematography.
Pre-World War II. British Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman) comes to Australia to meet her husband and manage the land but she finds that her husband is dead and the natives are being abused. Along with the help of the loner/free-spirited cattle driver Drover, she needs to save her cattle and from an enemy.Not to mention the growing attraction between her and Drover (Jackman)…
Hugh Jackman is of course not exactly resting. He has many movies in (pre-) production stages and Wolverine II is one of them. At 41, he is at the peak of his career and his looks. He enjoys all the perks of fame without letting the whole concept get to his head. I just hope that he never tires of acting. And how lovely it would be if I ever got to see him live on Broadway.
