The 'Logan' star was offered the role of the iconic 007 agent before Daniel Craig signed on, but he had to turn it down due to his 'X-Men' commitments.
- Dec 6, 2017
AceShowbiz - Hugh Jackman almost played James Bond. In an interview with Variety, the 49-year-old Australian actor revealed that he was offered the role of the iconic 007 agent before Daniel Craig signed on, adding that the scripts were at the time "so unbelievable." Unfortunately, he had to turn it down as his "X-Men" commitments got in the way.
"I was about to do 'X-Men 2' and a call came from my agent asking if I'd be interested in Bond," Jackman recalled to the news outlet. The Wolverine depicter continued, "I just felt at the time that the scripts had become so unbelievable and crazy," adding that he "felt like they needed to become grittier and real."
His suggestions didn't make the cut though, with the actor saying that he was told he didn't get a say in how the story of James Bond went. "And the response was, 'Oh, you don't get a say. You just have to sign on.' I was also worried that between Bond and 'X-Men', I'd never have time to do different things," he said.
During the interview, Jackman also shared that it was a bittersweet feeling to bid farewell to Wolverine, the character that the actor had played since 2000's "X-Men". He expressed some regrets that he didn't get the opportunity to fully inhabit a more adult take on the iconic character sooner than "Logan", which was released earlier this year.
"I wish I'd started playing him like that 17 years ago. So there's some sense of missed opportunity, but when I saw 'Logan', I sat there and I did have tears in my eyes," Jackman admitted. "The main feeling I had was, 'There, that's the character. I feel like I've done it now.' And I was calm and at peace, but I'm going to miss that guy."
Jackman can soon be seen in "The Greatest Showman", which is due out in theaters across the nation on December 20.
