Hugh Jackman Opens Up About Wolverine Retirement: "It Was Hurting"

Hugh Jackman says that he was "hurting" near his retirement.

By Aaron Perine

Deadpool & Wolverine's Hugh Jackman opened up about his retirement from the role of Wolverine. Apparently, playing the X-Men favorite had his body hurting every day back near Logan. People Magazine had Jackman and his buddy Ryan Reynolds interview each other ahead of the MCU blockbuster. It's a bit of a bro-fest, but through the writing, their special friendship really comes through. Yes, Reynolds always wanted Jackman to come back to the role. But, the time away gave his body some time to adjust and reinvigorated his love for Wolverine. So, once the star arrived on the set of Deadpool & Wolverine, he was ready to sink his claws into the task at hand. Check out how Jackman described that process right here.

"I had got to the point probably 10 years ago I was like, I'm not enjoying it. It was hurting. It was tough," Jackman recalled. "But I've had a break, and I've been doing a lot of dance. I've been doing stage shows. And so when I came back to it, it was really fun."

Deadpool & Wolverine Lured Hugh Jackman Out Of Retirement

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(Photo: Marvel Entertainment)

Throughout the press tour for Deadpool & Wolverine, Jackman has been adamant that he was done playing Logan. However, with a friend like Reynolds, he probably wasn't going to be down forever. Rotten Tomatoes' Jacqueline Cooley spoke to the duo and asked about putting the tights on for the first time. Jackman is very candid about his thought process after 2017's Logan. He really thought he was done. But, when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity rolls around, it's pretty hard to say no. Especially, when the person driving that particular bus is your best friend. 

"I was on my way – I was just driving – and literally just like a bolt of lightning came this knowing, deep in my gut, that I wanted to do this film with Ryan... for Deadpool and Wolverine to come together. And Jacqueline, I swear to you, when I said I was done I really thought I was done," Jackman shared. "But, in the back of my head, ever since I saw Deadpool 1, I was like 'Those two characters together...' I knew it: I knew the fans wanted it. Ever since I put on the claws fans have talked about these two, so that had always been there, but I just knew."

What's Happening In Deadpool & Woverine?

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(Photo: Fangango/Marvel Studios)

In Marvel Studios' Deadpool & Wolverine, Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) will change the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). The film also stars Matthew Macfadyen as Paradox, and Emma Corrin as Cassandra Nova, with the return of Deadpool alums Morena Baccarin as Vanessa Carlysle, Leslie Uggams as Blind Al, Karan Soni as Dopinder, Stefan Kapičić as Piotr Rasputin/Colossus, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, Rob Delaney as Peter, and Lewis Tan as Shatterstar. Aaron Stanford is returning as Pyro from the X-Men film series, with Jennifer Garner rumored to return as Elektra Natchios. 

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Kevin Feige, Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy and Lauren Shuler Donner produce with Louis D'Esposito, Wendy Jacobson, Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, George Dewey and Simon Kinberg serving as executive producers. Deadpool & Wolverine is written by Ryan Reynolds & Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick & Zeb Wells & Shawn Levy. Deadpool & Wolverine will be released exclusively in theaters on July 26th.

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