If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.
Hugh Jackman reveals that a Canadian customs agent nearly stopped him playing Wolverine in X-Men
A snag with his paperwork nearly changed comic book movie history forever.
Popverse's top stories of the day
- How Disney+'s What If...? is the moonshot for the next 50 years of Marvel Studios & the MCU
- Watch: Dune: Prophecy's Desmond Hart explained: His secret identity, his past, and his possible future [SPOILERS]
- Dune: Prophecy's Desmond Hart explained: His secret identity, his past, and his possible future [SPOILERS]
Today, few actors are more closely tied to their signature role than Hugh Jackman is to Wolverine. Even after he had the most perfect swansong imaginable for the character in Logan, it still managed to get its claws into him and bring him back one more time for Deadpool & Wolverine. But he nearly missed his chance to play everyone’s favorite surly mutant due to the greatest nemesis mankind has ever faced – customs paperwork.
Jackman told the story while on the press tour for his 11th film as Wolverine. As he was traveling to Canada to begin filming the first X-Men movie back in 1999, he almost got sent back due to a problem with his paperwork. “I was like, ‘Oh, I just lost the biggest break of my life.’ I told the guy behind the counter who had been so cold and he goes, ‘Sorry, I don’t understand. You mean you’re an animator?’ And I said, ‘No. It’s a normal movie, live action.’ He goes, ‘Hang on, you’re Wolverine in live action?’”
That was apparently all it took to change the man’s attitude. “And then I was doing photos, autographs, and every bit of paperwork just got stamped,” Jackman explained. It was the first inkling he had that maybe this role in a movie about a comic book he had barely heard of might be a bit of a big deal. X-Men would go on to help spark the surge of comic book films that would dominate the box office for nearly 20 years, and Hugh Jackman only got to star as Wolverine because the customs agent at the Canadian border was up on his comic books.
It isn’t the first time Canadian customs agents have shown their love for the greatest superhero their nation has produced (sorry, Captain Britain). Back in 2016, the Library and Archives of Canada “found” the military records of Wolverine and published them online as an April Fools joke.
Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out Popverse's guides to:
And if you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we've also got lists for the:
Finally, if you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to:
Follow Popverse for upcoming event coverage and news
Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy
Let Popverse be your tour guide through the wilderness of pop culture
Sign in and let us help you find your new favorite thing.
Comments
Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.