Hugh Jackman Dodged A ‘Cats’-Shaped Bullet; Rules Out Playing Wolverine Again For The 100th Time
By Chris Evangelista/April 16, 2020 3:30 pm EST
Hugh Jackman, the Greatest Showman himself, took some time to speak with The Daily Beast recently, and the subject of Cats came up. Jackman previously appeared in the film adaptation of Les Misérables, which was helmed by Cats director Tom Hooper. Jackman was asked flat-out if he turned down a role in Cats, and Jackman gave a reply that’s pretty funny in its tact and simplicity: “Umm… yep.”
When asked to elaborate as to which cat Jackman would’ve played – Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat, perhaps? – the actor replied:
The interviewer pushed on, attempting to get Jackman to bad-mouth the film, but Jackman wasn’t taking the bait. “I’m in the theater, man, and I don’t want to be in the business of bashing people—or jumping on bandwagons,” he said. “I haven’t seen it, and Tom Hooper’s one of the great filmmakers we have.”
“You know, Tom rang me early on because we did Les Mis together, and there were a couple of options there based on availability and time, and I really… yeah, I just wasn’t available at the time.”
But sure enough, anytime Jackman gives a new interview, he’s doomed to be asked this question again. And once again, he said no. The actor stated that if the Fox/Disney merger had happened “seven years ago” he would’ve been game to join the MCU, but that ship has sailed:
And there you have it. Remember to check back in a few months from now, when someone asks Jackman this Wolverine question again, and he once again gives the same answer.
“I knew it was the right time for me to leave the party—not just for me, but for the character. Somebody else will pick it up and run with it. It’s too good of a character not to. It’s kind of like, you’re on your way home and your friend rings you and goes, Oh, dude, a new DJ just came on and the music is awesome, are you going to come back? And you say, Sounds good but… no. They’re fine with someone else.”
