Once upon a time, Dougray Scott had been assigned the role of Wolverine. The timing would have conflicted with “Mission: Impossible 2,” so it was time to find another Wolverine. And that man was Hugh Jackman. In the audition process, it didn’t exactly go according to plan for Jackman. Bryan Singer held court, and Jackman could not get the lines out. What he did not know at the time was that Dougray Scott had been dropped, and it was still up for grabs.
In 2000, Hugh Jackman auditioned for the first time to play Wolverine in the movie X-Men. At that period, Jackman himself was relatively unknown in terms of movies but had a moderately good reputation working as an actor on stage and on television.
Screenwriter Tom DeSanto put Jackman through his paces during the audition. He kept telling him to be quieter and quieter until Jackman could hardly hear himself. The frustration oozed out of DeSanto, thinking why he was wasting time by auditioning someone when, in his heart, he believed that he had already cast the part.
After Jackman had finished his audition, Kevin Feige—then a producer for Marvel Studios—spent an hour having dinner with him. Jackman remembers being sure that he wouldn’t get the role at that time, but Feige wanted to take him out for dinner and then drop him off at the airport.
Hugh Jackman has said that the moment was touching and something he did not expect at all. It was too much grace on Feige’s part, which hit him as that thorough, good-hearted deed. Jackman remembers telling himself it was the last interaction with Feige because he had never thought in his dreams that he would get that part.
Finally, Hugh Jackman was cast as Wolverine, a role with which he became synonymous despite initial skepticism over the idea. Having gone on to play Wolverine in a slew of X-Men films and other Marvel projects, it catapulted him onto one of the most recognized and loved characters within this franchise.
Even in the cutthroat world of auditions, there is still room for a little kindness and cameraderie. It turned out to be one of the most decisive moments in Jackman’s career, and fans worldwide are thankful for Feige’s unsolicited generosity.
