As Wolverine’s catchphrase goes, he’s the best there is at what he does, but what he does best isn’t very nice. And apparently what Wolverine does, apart from saving the day from the likes of Magneto and Sabertooth and X-24, is cause mischief for Hugh Jackman’s rich, beautiful, Australian vocal cords.
The Tony, Emmy, Grammy, and Golden Globe-winning megastar recently appeared on the BBC radio show Front Row, and confessed that his regular appearances as the Canadian mutant Logan (also known as Wolverine) have physically impacted the performer.
“My falsetto is not as strong as it used to be, and that I directly put down to some of the growling and yelling,” he said. Of his method used in playing the character all these years, Jackman said, “my voice teacher in drama school would’ve been horrified by some of the things I did.”
The triple threat performer added that in school, he “learned the technique of how to shout and how to yell without ruining your voice. However, [playing] Wolverine, I did some screaming and yelling and things that I think did damage my voice, which I think I’m working on.” He also said that “I work with a singing teacher, and I make sure that I try not to hurt myself. And I really put a lot of effort into both physical movement, and my vocal preparation for every role.”
The two-time Tony-winner recently concluded his run of 46 previews and 373 performances opposite Sutton Foster in the Broadway revival of The Music Man, for which he was nominated for Best Actor in a Musical. At the final performance, he just barely held back tears as he thanked audiences who returned to seeing live performances as the COVID pandemic eased. He even signaled out one individual who had seen the show 176 times.
Jackman’s adamantium claws first appeared in Bryan Singer’s 2000 film X-Men. He returned for two sequels, then a prequel (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), then a standalone (Wolverine), and a timeline-altering prequel (X-Men: Days of Future Passed), and a possible-future (and series conclusion!) Logan. There were also quick, timeline-defiant appearances in X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Apocalypse.) He will also appear in the forthcoming Deadpool 3, after having appeared in photo or archival footage form in the first two. Yes, there is going to be a quiz about this later.
A source close to Jackman told V.F. that while he does not deny making the comments on Front Row, he and his vocal cords are fine.
Here’s a clip of Hugh Jackman from 2019 proving that he is, in fact, the greatest showman.
Jordan Hoffman
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