In 2017, Hugh Jackman hung up his leather jacket, put his cigars away, used those adamantium claws one last time to trim his ridiculous haircut and called it a day. He'd been playing the character of Wolverine since the first X-Men in 2000, but brought the rage-fuelled Canadian's story to a close with Logan.

Ever since then, fans have speculated on who exactly should take on the role - especially now Disney own the rights to reboot the series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There's been talk of Tom Hardy taking over and even a petition for Danny DeVito to take on the role (do it, you cowards) but many think that there's simply no replacing him.

Jackman talks to Jimmy Fallon about Logan:

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Despite how much of an unforgettable impact he made on the character and the entire X-Men series, things weren't always going so well for the Australian actor. In fact, there was a point where he was almost fired from the pivotal role in his career.

Jackman has recently been touring his show 'Hugh Jackman: The Man, The Music'. At one of these recent shows, he spoke to the audience about this time in his life, the Daily Mail reports.

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“I was told that things weren’t really working out as they hoped,” he said. “I was about to get fired from my first Hollywood movie, the biggest of my career."

"I was angry, I went home to my wife and I complained. I was whinging an Olympic level of whinging to Deb, my wife, and moaning about this person and that person.

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“She listened to me very patiently for about an hour and finally she just said, ‘Listen, I think you have just got to trust yourself. You are worrying way too much about what everything else is thinking. Just go back to the character, focus on that, trust your instinct. You’ve got this.'"

“To me that was love - someone that believes in you when you don’t fully believe in yourself," he told the crowd, before dedicating the show to his Deb and his children.

Wolverine star Hugh Jackman has denied ever taking steroids to achieve his ripped superhero physique.

The Aussie actor has played a huge variety of characters over the years but the mutant superhero Wolverine is certainly the most jacked.

At 57, his ability to maintain the same physique he had at 32, when he filmed the first X-Men film in 2000, is extremely impressive and almost hard to believe not chemically assisted.

Jackman has been asked whether he uses steroids many times

Understandably the Jacked-man has been grilled about whether he uses muscle enhancing drugs many times over the last 26 years.

Instead of drugs associated with body builders - and the famously devastating side-effect of small penises - the actor credits feathered creatures with his chiseled abs.

In an HBO interview Chris Wallace asked Jackman: “Over the years people have wondered; did he juice? Did he take steroids?”

Jackman hastily replied: “No, I love my job. And I love Wolverine,

“I got to be careful what I say here, but I had been told anecdotally what the side effects are of that. And I was like, ‘I don’t love it that much.’

“So no, I just did it the old school way.

“And I tell you, I’ve eaten more chickens — I’m so sorry to all the vegans and vegetarians and to the chickens of the world.

“Literally the karma is not good for me.

“If the deity has anything related to chickens, I’m in trouble.”

He later said: “Apologies, chickens. Run a mile. Start running now because I'm coming for you.”

So it turns out the only unnatural part of his body is the claws that he admits don’t naturally grow from his fingertips.

Jackman documents his hard work in the gym on Instagram

Just a few weeks ago Jackman uploaded a video of himself doing a tough calisthenics move, air walk pull ups, to Instagram where the 4.7 million views it got prove how impressed his fans were.

Jackman began preparing for his last superhero movie, Deadpool and Wolverine, released in 2024, while performing The Music Man on Broadway.

Despite burning 1,500 calories a day on stage, his bulking was going so well he had to apologize to the costume department.

The actor told Variety he had to “apologi[ze] to the entire cast of The Music Man, and in particular my dresser and my wife.

“All the protein shakes are starting to kick in fast.

"The other night, I could hear the Velcro go creaking and actually popped open. I've split two pairs of pants."

Featured image credit: Gotham / Getty Images

Hugh Jackman gave us 17 glorious years as Wolverine, and we'll never be able to thank him fully for it.

But, as the 50-year-old actor hangs up his six retractable claws and regenerative abilities, the question arises: who should play the mutant legend next? If you ask fans, there's only one man for the job: Mr Danny DeVito, of course!

A petition for the Taxi actor to take on the role has gathered over 10,000 signatures and looks set to conquer its 15,000 signature goal.

How did Jerry Seinfeld convince Hugh Jackman to end Wolverine with Logan? Find out here:

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Started by a user going by the name of 'Ring Arius,' the summary reads: "The only man able to take the throne after Hugh Jackman. We believe that if Wolverine is to make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that the only man able to pull it off is Danny Devito."

Along with the support for the cause comes dozens of comments from keen fans all around the world. Ryan Foster couldn't wait for the dream to become a reality, writing: "This is the moment important cause I've ever supported."

He was joined by Tom Wilson who commented "Personally I feel Danny is the true Wolverine" and James Froggatt who said: "It's f*cking Danny Devito, enough said."

Do you passionately believe Danny should be the man to step into Hugh's shoes? If so, you can sign here.

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If the Matilda star did choose to take on the role - which, along with X-Men is entering a new era, with the franchise about to be integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe - it would mean a lot of work, given the physical nature of the part.

On a recent Television Critics Association panel, X-Men franchise producer, Lauren Shuler Donner, explained why she believed Hugh was wise to give up the role, saying it was becoming too demanding.

"[Hugh] worked so hard to bulk up, would get up at four in the morning to bulk and eat protein meals every two hours because his natural state, they used to call him Worm when he was a kid," she said. "So his natural state is a very skinny guy. Once you reach a certain age, the body just won’t go anymore. I think he was wise to say, ‘I’m at that point. I can’t do it.’"

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The Greatest Showman actor himself has commented on his departure, stating it was "time" for him to go.

"When I saw Deadpool, I was like, wow that’s cool," he said. "It’s just a matter of time. It’s a bit like you’re at the greatest party you’ve ever been at, you’ve been dancing for an hour and a half, and then you’re just like ‘It’s time, ok. If I stay any longer, it’s gonna get ugly.’ It’s like, it’s time."

We're sad to see you go, Hugh - but unendingly keen for Danny to snap up the role.

Hugh Jackman has revealed it will take him six months of intense training to get back into shape for his role as Wolverine in Deadpool 3.

The actor, 54, is set to undergo half a year of grueling exercise and dieting to get shredded for the character, admitting it takes "time" to get those washboard abs.

Jackman starred as Wolverine in the X-Men film series from 2000 until 2017, earning him the Guinness World Record for "longest career as a live-action Marvel character", until his record was overtaken in 2021 by Patrick Stewart.

However, Jackman is set to reprise the iconic character for Deadpool 3, which is slated for release in November 2024.

Hugh Jackman is set to reprise the iconic role. Credit: Pacific Press Media Production Corp. / Alamy

He revealed that it will take him six months to get into peak physical shape for the character - despite already having a good level of fitness from currently starring in The Music Man on Broadway.

Jackman revealed on Who's Taking to Chris Wallace: "I’m not doing any other work. I’m going to be with my family and train. That’s going to be my job for six months.

"And I’m really fit right now. There’s one thing that about eight shows a week being on Broadway singing and dancing is I’m fit. So I’m healthy. I have a good place to start."

He added: "I’ve learned you can’t rush it. I’ve learned that it takes time."

Jackman will star alongside Ryan Reynolds in the superhero action film after teasing the project was in the works last year.

While building a ripped physique requires a lot of hours in the gym, a key component is also abiding by a strict diet too.

He explained how he got into shape for his nine outings as Wolverine, admitting: "I did it the old-school way. I've eaten more chickens, I'm so sorry to all the vegans, the vegetarians, and to all the chickens of the world.

"The Karma's not good for me. If the deity has anything related to chickens, I'm in trouble."

It takes half a year - and a whole heap of chicken - to get this shredded. Credit: Maximum Film / Alamy

Jackman also joked that he was put off the idea of ever using steroids to achieve the figure he was after about hearing of the side-effects - which include erectile dysfunction.

"I had been told anecdotally what the side effects are of that and I was like – I don't love it that much," he quipped.

Reynolds and Jackman had set social media alight in September as they announced that Wolverine would be in Deadpool 3 in the most nonchalant manner ever.

They shared a teaser video showing Reynolds struggling to come up with ideas for Deadpool 3 at home, before Jackman casually walked into the back of shot.

Reynolds asked: "Hey, Hugh. You want to play Wolverine one more time?", to which Jackman replied: "Yeah. Sure, Ryan."

We already can't wait... though the chickens of the world might feel differently.

Featured image credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy

 

Hugh Jackman's got it all: ruggedly handsome good looks, serious acting skills, and the boyish charm inherent in most Aussie men (read: Chris Hemsworth). The 49-year-old is known for taking on a number of very different roles in a variety of genres over the years, from his effort in action-horror flick Van Helsing to the epic historical romantic drama Australia, and even belting out a few tunes in the film adaptation of Les Miserables. He's also well-known for having played Wolverine, first appearing as the mutant in Marvel's 2000 flick X-Men. Now, seventeen years later, Jackman is still portraying the character, most recently receiving acclaim for his stellar performance in the noteworthy Logan. Incredibly, he looks as fit as ever, his muscular arms and ripped six-pack certainly very easy to look at. How does he do it? Well, we can tell you exactly the diet Jackman followed so you can look like Wolverine too. Minus the claws, of course. The actor revealed that he follows something called the 8-Hour Diet, and it turns out it's quite popular with celebrities like Terry Crews and Nicole Kidman too. As you might've guessed, the diet works on any body type and is designed to switch on your fat-burning bits and ultimately help you look leaner. Jackman revealed his tactic to Men's Fitness, who reported that it works by limiting your food intake to just eight hours over the course of the day. You fast for the rest of the 16 hours, meaning if you take your first bite at 10am, your last meal should be just before 6pm. "I feel so much better on it," Jackman told the magazine. "And the great thing about the diet is, I sleep so much better." [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BaGzMVgDtWF/?hl=en&taken-by=thehughjackman]] The 8-Hour Diet is just another name for intermittent fasting, which reportedly has many beneficial side effects other than just keeping you leaner. By only eating during prescribed hours and holding off from food for the rest of the time, your body automatically starts burning fat, rather than muscle, for energy. Limiting your food consumption to just eight hours also boosts your natural levels of the human growth hormone, meaning you'll build muscle more easily and get stronger as a result. Plus, the diet is also proven to help lower your risk of diabetes, cancer and even Alzheimer's. It was especially effective for Jackman who needed to massively bulk and cut for the Wolverine role. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BZQt7NLDIX-/?hl=en&taken-by=thehughjackman]] “I haven’t put on nearly the amount of fat I normally would,” he said. To gain muscle for the role, Jackman followed what was described as a "brutal, no-nonsense nutrition plan" that was personally prescribed to him by certified muscle-mountain Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. “He told me that if in a six-month period you want to put on 25 pounds of lean muscle and not fat, eat natural and eat 6,000 calories a day,” Jackman said. “There were times when I would literally eat with the mindset of working out. ‘One more mouthful, one more, come on, come on, you’ve got to finish this meal.’” [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb4bm5HjFdU/?hl=en&taken-by=thehughjackman]] But most people don't eat quite so much when following the intermittent fasting plan. It's not exactly a new diet and is even considered by some as a "fad" that first started in 2013. Dietician/author David Zinczenko wrote a book introducing the 8-Hour Diet, and it had everyone hooked after he claimed it'll guarantee to help you lose major weight. The best part is that it doesn't matter what you eat during the 8 hours, as long as it's balanced and protein-rich. It means Jackman could indulge in all his favourites, including sushi: [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BboilfRj8hs/?taken-by=thehughjackman]]

Monumental schnitzels:

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A familiar "Aussie style" breakfast:

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Or this one, containing the all-important Vegemite:

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And whatever this plate of "heaven" is:

[[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BalrTLMDM6j/?taken-by=thehughjackman]] Not a bad diet at all, it all looks good to me!