By now, it's a well-known fact that Dougray Scott was Fox's first choice to play Wolverine in 2000's
X-Men but the Scottish actor was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with Tom Cruise's
Mission: Impossible II. Enter Hugh Jackman. While most fans have a hard time picturing anyone else playing the roguish loner,
Jackman told E! News that he really struggled with the role initially.
"
I was kind of struggling, to be honest," reflected Jackman. He continued, "
It was the first movie I had ever done in America. I was pretty tight. I was nervous. I was average, to be honest, at best. No one was saying anything and I sort of thought I was getting away with it, but I wasn't."
But it was then Fox CEO (now Sony Chairman) Tom Rothman who pulled Hugh aside and gave him some encouragement. "
He told me that he believed in me, that from the moment he'd seen my tape he had a gut feeling I was the guy, but watching my dailies was like watching someone put a lampshade over a light."
Seventeen years later, their relationship came full circle as Rothman presented the Producers Guild Awards'
Milestone Award to Jackman this past Saturday night.
Though Ryan Reynolds is entreating Jackman to reprise his role as Wolverine for a team-up with
Deadpool, by all accounts, March 3 will see Jackman's final turn as Wolverine in director James Mangold's
Logan. Will you be there opening night for Jackman's send off?