Hugh Jackman knew that he was nearing the end of his time as Wolverine heading into the pre-production of his third solo movie, but a conversation with Jerry Seinfeld helped him make up his mind. The Australian actor had previously talked about how he was inspired by the way Jerry ended
Seinfeld while the ratings were still strong and it was still well received. However, in a conversation with Willem Dafoe for
Variety's "Actors on Actors" series, Jackman said a dinner with Seinfeld himself is what really helped him make up his mind. Jackman says:
"Long story, he (Seinfeld) kind of said ''I've always believed, creatively, you should never spend everything creatively because it's almost herculean to start up again. You should always have something in the tank, 'leave the party before it gets too late' kind of theory. And then somehow it spurs you into the next thing.'"
Jackman said he told his wife that night on the way home that he knew his next Wolverine movie would be his last. When he woke up the next morning, he came up with the idea for what eventually became
Logan. Jackman and director James Mangold had previously talked about doing a movie that was less about superheroes and more about the ramifications of violence, and this situation presented them with the perfect opportunity to do just that. Jackman said:
"The moment I had that thought, I was supercharged, super excited, absolutely sure I wouldn't play it again, and very nervous. Because it's 17 years, I mean you're a theatre man like me, it's like at the end of a long run, you really want your last show to be the best."
While it will be strange to see anyone other than Jackman play the character of Wolverine,
Logan was certainly a strong way to go out. And in a way, we have Jerry Seinfeld to thank for that.