Hugh Jackman got his big break when he landed the role of Logan/Wolverine in Bryan Singer's X-Men, and he'd go on to play the fan-favorite mutant for the director in three (if you count his brief cameo in X-Men: Apocalypse) more movies.
Multiple sexual misconduct allegations have resulted in Singer being blacklisted in Hollywood, but even before those accusations were brought to light, the filmmaker had gained a reputation for being a domineering (ie, bullying) figure on-set.
During an interview with The Guardian, Jackman was asked if Singer's alleged behaviour has tainted the X-Men franchise for him in any way.
“You know, that’s a really, really complicated question,” he responded. “There’s a lot of things at stake there. X-Men’ was the turning point, I believe, in terms of comic-book movies and I think there’s a lot to be proud of. And there’s certainly questions to be asked and I think they should be asked. But I guess I don’t know how to elegantly answer that. I think it’s complex and ultimately I look back with pride at what we’ve achieved and what momentum that started.”
As for Singer's "difficult" directing style, Jackman did suggest that the filmmaker conducted himself in a manner that wouldn't be tolerated today.
“This was my first movie in America, you gotta understand; it was all so new to me. I think it’s fair to say that….There are some stories, you know … I think there are some ways of being on set that would not happen now. And I think that things have changed for the better.”
Singer was in line to helm the upcoming Red Sonja reboot before being replaced after the latest round of allegations were made public. While he hasn't been formerly charged with any crimes (that we know of), he's highly unlikely to attempt any sort of comeback anytime soon.
Jackman will reprise the role of Wolverine one more time(?) for Deadpool 3.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.