For 17 years, Hugh Jackman played the role of Wolverine with gravitas and now it is difficult to imagine any other actor fill his shoes after he ended his X-Men career with Logan. But did you know Russell Crowe was considered for Wolverine's role before Marvel approached Jackman?
Also Read: Logan: Watch Wolverine Hugh Jackman bruised by Dafne Keen during X-23 aka Laura audition
With DVD – Blu Ray of Logan releasing, new details on Wolverine franchise has emerged. The latest is about Crowe's connection to X-Men character. The actor revealed why he turned down the role of the now iconic character.
While co-hosting an Australian radio show, Gladiator actor said the makers had approached him for Bryan Singer's original X-Men movie, News.com.au reported.
He refused to take up the movie because: "Bryan [Singer] was a friend at the time and he was really putting the pressure on. If you remember, Maximus has a wolf at the center of his cuirass, and he has a wolf as his companion ... which I thought was going to be a bigger deal [at the time]. So I said no because I didn't want to be 'wolfy', like 'Mr. Wolf'."
Maximus is the central character in Ridley Scott's Gladiator, which was in making around the same time as Singer's X-Men.
But unfortunately, Crowe's wolf scenes were not included in the Gladiator. Crowe's 'wolf moments' from the blockbuster movie never made its way out of the editing desk.
"When Ridley [Scott, director] was cutting the movie, it was inconvenient to keep the dog alive — so the whole wolf thing, no one ever mentions it," he shared.
His loss was Jackman's gain and the Wolverine actor has been very grateful to Crowe. Jackman credits Crowe for helping him shape his X-Men career.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly in 2012, Jackman shared, "Russell (Crowe) has given me advice several times at key moments in my life. I owe him because two of the biggest roles I've ever had in my life, he turned down — and suggested me for them. On X-Men, he was Bryan Singer's first choice for Wolverine, and he mentioned me also for (Baz Luhrmann's) Australia. He really is incredibly smart, and generous."
After all these years, Jackman stands as a synonym to Wolverine and he shined the brightest in his last movie. Have you watched the trailer of the Logan Noir version?
