Hugh Jackman Discusses How He Adjusted For Wolverine’s Height Difference: ‘Literally Crouching’

Hugh Jackman revealed how he managed to nab the part of Wolverine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe despite being significantly taller than the character.

When asked how he got cast for the role despite being six feet two inches tall compared to Wolverine’s much shorter stature, the 54-year-old actor told CNN’s Chris Wallace that he went to “about seven” auditions before landing the part.

“I went to see the head of production,” Jackman explained. “We were talking and he said, ‘You know, there’s just one problem, I hope the fans are not gonna have a problem because the character’s meant to be five foot five.’ And I said, ‘Tom, really, it’s gonna be absolutely fine. Don’t worry about a thing,’” he continued while walking around the room in an exaggerated crouched position.

“I literally walked out like that,” the “X-Men” actor said with a grin while still crouching. Jackman also revealed that in the first movie, he never wore shoes.

“The rule was, unless they were a kid, they had to be taller than me,” he continued. “I was literally crouching like that, shoes off, people were on planks and boxes all around me. So they went to a great effort. And I think after a while, they just gave up on that.”

The actor has been thinking a lot about his time as Wolverine as he gears up to reprise the role for “Deadpool 3” opposite Ryan Reynolds. 

“How do I categorize it?” Jackman said of how his character would interact with Reynolds as Deadpool. “Ten being really close, zero being the reality: we’re zero; we’re opposites, hate each other.”

“I’m just talking from my perspective,” he continued. “[Logan is] frustrated by him [and] wants to be a million miles away from him or wants to punch him in the head. Unfortunately, he can’t be a million miles away from him in this movie, so I’m probably going to punch him in the head a lot.”

Most recently, fans were delighted when Jackman posted a joke video begging the Academy not to nominate Reynolds for his song “Good Afternoon,” as The Daily Wire previously reported. 

“Ryan Reynolds getting a nomination in the best song category would make the next year of my life insufferable,” the “Greatest Showman” actor said in part. “I mean, I have to spend a year with him shooting ‘Wolverine’ and ‘Deadpool,’ and trust me, it would be impossible, it would be a problem.”

The two actors have a mock rivalry that’s been going on for years and will apparently continue as they begin shooting “Deadpool 3” this May for an intended November 2024 release.