‘X-Men’ Had to Stop Filming Because of Hugh Jackman’s Hair
Hugh Jackman once had his hair styled in a way to resemble his comic book counterpart Wolverine. But while shooting the first X-Men movie, the film’s director had to stop production after his new hairdo became a bit too wild.
Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine hair kept changing throughout ‘X-Men’
Wolverine’s unique hair may be just as iconic and recognizable as his yellow suit. Most incarnations of the character have the mutant anti-hero sporting a somewhat untamed hairstyle, which Jackman had to emulate in live action. Although Jackman has been able to pull off Wolverine’s classic look over the years, he didn’t feel the style would fair well in real life.
“Weirdly, it looks okay on film and on that character. But imagine it in real life,” Jackman once told Men’s Health (via Digital Spy). “It looks ridiculous, so ridiculous. You can wear a baseball cap with it… but really, there’s no way to style it. And then there’s the hair as well, which of course, looks ridiculous both in character and out of character.”
When Jackman had to sport Wolverine’s hair for the first time in the 2000 movie X-Men, he went through multiple hairstyles. One of those hairstyles caused production to shut down.
“To watch the first movie, my hair changes a lot because about three weeks into shooting, a crew member said, `Elvis is leaving the building.’ And the director shut down shooting and said, `You’re right. It looks like Elvis,’” Jackman once said according to The Free Library. “I watch the first one and I see my hair – sometimes they’ve edited down so it’s almost flat.”
Hugh Jackman finds playing Wolverine therapeutic
Since Wolverine is a naturally angry character, Jackman tapped into his own aggressive emotions to appropriately honor his role. The actor once quipped he’d start off his day with a cold and unpleasant shower to kickstart his attitude.
“(It was) freezing cold water and I was so p**sed. A cold shower in the middle of a Toronto winter and I had to be under there for two minutes,” Jackman once said according to Contact Music. “I was half way through it and I went, ‘This is it!’ This feeling was so through my body that I wanted to scream but you couldn’t, so that was kind of the character. So, every morning and every time I play that role now, it’s become superstitious almost. I always take a cold shower first thing in the morning – just to get p**sed off.”
As angry as Jackman was, he was able to exercise genuine anger through his Wolverine character. At times, the actor felt this was a very cathartic experience.
“It’s in our DNA. Aggression is a primal thing and it needs to be exorcised in some way; far better to have it in a controlled violent environment,” Jackman said. “So in a way playing Wolverine is good therapy. And he’s cool, you know? He’s much cooler than me.”
The process reminded Jackman of playing sports in his younger years.
“When I was younger I was very explosive. I used to let most of it out playing rugby,” he said. “I’m not as explosive now, but in a sense it’s still there. Nine out of 10 characteristics of Wolverine I don’t share, but I find him complex and interesting to play.”
What Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine will look like in ‘Deadpool 3’
Jackman’s Wolverine is set to make a comeback in Ryan Reynold’s approaching Deadpool 3 film. According to Entertainment Weekly, pictures were leaked showing Wolverine’s appearance in the film. It seems that Jackman’s portrayal of the tormented mutant will be even more comic accurate. Not only will Jackman continue wearing Wolverine’s signature hairstyle, but it seems he’ll be donning the character’s classic yellow spandex suit as well.
This is a significant departure from most of the X-Men movies. In the past, when Wolverine did wear a costume, it was the black leather attire that director Bryan Singer tailored for the superhero team. Wolverine’s change in fashion signifies a more faithful approach to the character’s look.
