Hugh Jackman says he was only cast as Wolverine after Russell Crowe turned down role

Australian actor also said he only won star-making part after Dougray Scott had to drop out

Hugh Jackman has revealed that he was only cast in the role of X-Men’s Wolverine after it was turned down by Russell Crowe.

The Australian actor, who first played the Marvel superhero 20 years ago in Bryan Singer’s first X-Men movie, remembered being one of “thousands of people” from around the world who auditioned for the part.

“I believe I was put in the mix early on,” he told The Daily Beast. “Dougray Scott got the part, Russell turned it down – that’s the second role I’ve gotten that Russell’s turned down. He’s been very good to me, Russ. The other one was Australia.”

Australia, released in 2008, was directed by Baz Luhrmann and saw Jackman star alongside Nicole Kidman.

Further recalling his experiences trying out for Wolverine, Jackman said: “I actually got the part nine months after I’d first auditioned for it. I only went back and auditioned again after Dougray got caught up on Mission: Impossible II, so I had no idea who was going for it nor did I expect to get it.”

He continued: “I never thought I was getting the part. I had no idea it was going to happen.”

Jackman would go on to play Wolverine in nine X-Men movies, culminating in 2017’s Logan – which he has insisted marked the final time he would play the character.

In March, Scott revealed that he only lost out on the Wolverine role as Tom Cruise refused to let him leave the Mission: Impossible II set after production overran.

“He was like, ‘You’ve got to stay and finish the film’ and I said I will, but I’ll go and do that as well,” Scott recalled. “For whatever reason he said I couldn’t. He was a very powerful guy. Other people were doing everything to make it work.”