Hugh Jackman walks the red carpet with Zac Effron, Zendaya and other Aussie stars
THEY’VE walked red carpets from New York to Mexico but it was Hugh Jackman’s hometown crowd that seemed all the more special for the Hollywood leading man who greeted fans and stopped for selfies at the premier of his latest blockbuster The Greatest Showman.
Confidential
Don't miss out on the headlines from Confidential. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THEY’VE walked red carpets from New York to Mexico but it was Hugh Jackman’s hometown crowd that seemed all the more special for the Hollywood leading man.
Jackman walked the red carpet for the premiere of his latest blockbuster The Greatest Showman which sees him star in the singing and dancing biographical musical drama inspired by PT Barnum, who set up the Barnum & Bailey Circus.
“You don’t get to do these kinds of movies very often, the studio took a big risk and I am really thrilled they did,” Jackman told Confidential.
“There hadn’t been an original musical movie in 23 years. There had been musicals, Les Miserables, Mamma Mia, Phantom of the Opera, where they had an established audience but it was considered too big a risk to have original songs and a story people don’t know. So they took a bet.”
Himself one of the world’s biggest movie stars, Zac Efron was happy to take a back seat to Jackman and Australian director Michael Gracey at last night’s premiere in Sydney.
Other Australians in the film include actors Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Shannon Holtzapffel and Sam Humphrey.
“We shot it in New York but we are bringing home the hometown hero, Hugh Jackman and the soon to be, next hometown hero, Michael Gracey,” Efron told Confidential.
“It is just nice to be with them, they are so excited to bring it here.”
Co-star Zendaya said the film took inspiration from another Aussie, in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge flick.
“Moulin Rouge was a huge reference from the beginning,” she said. “That is one of the reasons we liked it so much. I love that movie.”
Efron and Zendaya play on-screen love interests in the film.
“Playing star-crossed lovers that are against all odds and against every obstacle, fighting to be together and in our rendition are quite literally taking up into the air into the skies chasing love, and dreaming of a future where it is possible, is beautiful, it is something special,” he explained.
Broadway star Keala Settle, who plays bearded lady Lettie Lutz, also walked the red carpet alongside local celebrities including Marta Dusseldorp, Sara Wiseman, David Berry, Jake Ryan and Samara Weaving.