Hugh Jackman took it all off for his latest movie – his hair, that is.
The Aussie portrays famed swashbuckler Blackbeard in the Neverland origin story “Pan,” and sports a striking new look for the role.
“I really shaved my head. I recommend everyone to shave their head at least once in their life,” he told Access Hollywood at the film’s premiere in New York City on Sunday.
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However, Hugh revealed that his reason for going Method was more about comfort than the character.
“For me, I’m a typical guy – lazy,” he smiled. “So hair is just a hassle.”
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He explained that the movie’s stylists had told him he could wear a bald cap, but the prep time would require an extra 45 minutes.
“I said, ‘Give me the clippers, right now,'” he laughed. “45 [extra] minutes to sleep every day? It’s fantastic.”
When discussing the pirate’s inky facial hair, however, the “X-Men” icon wasn’t quite as enthusiastic.
“That is me,” he said of the moustache and goatee, adding, “I’m not sure I should be so proud of that.”
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Hugh joked that growing out his own stubble for the part ended up giving him a harsh dose of reality, courtesy of his teenage son.
“There’s a little bit of coloring in it,” he said. “When I went to film, I said to my son, ‘I’m off to play Blackbeard,’ and he goes, ‘I think it’s more like black-and-white beard, Dad, really.'”
Gray hair aside, Hugh is looking forward to embracing the future as he lets go of the role that made him a star.
“It’s exciting,” he said of his final “Wolverine” film, due out in 2017. “Hopefully I won’t regret it, but right now it feels right.”
Hugh may be ready to retract his claws, but he did share some thoughts on who might wield them next.
When asked about his eventual successor in the superhero franchise, the actor said he’d like to see someone who could give viewers a deeper look into Wolverine’s past.
“I’d probably go for someone younger,” Hugh said. “I was 30 when I got the role, so one thing fans have not seen is a younger Wolverine.”
Hugh added that he’s also hoping for a fresh face to embody the comic book hero, a notion he finds appealing for personal reasons.
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“I think it would be nice to get an unknown,” he said. “I was an unknown!”
Blackbeard and Wolverine aren’t the only page-to-screen figures to whom Hugh has been linked. In addition to his Oscar-nominated work as “Les Miserables” hero Jean Valjean, Hugh also gave an interview to an Australian news program in September in which he said he’d “seriously consider” playing James Bond.
Hugh told Access, however, that his chances of actually putting on 007’s tux aren’t very promising.
“Not true,” he said, offering current Bond star Daniel Craig a friendly apology for igniting the rumors.
“It’s not true! I started it. Sorry, Dan,” he winked.
“Pan” opens in theaters nationwide on Oct. 9.
— Erin Biglow
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