Hugh Jackman chose acting school over a role on Neighbours

We know him as Wolverine and The Boy from Oz but Aussie heart-throb Hugh Jackman has let slip there’s another iconic role he once said no to early in his career.

Superstar Hugh Jackman has opened up about how turning down a coveted acting job on Aussie soap opera Neighbours early in his career became one of the most important decisions of his life.

The Wolverine actor joined the Australian co-founder and CEO of the Global Citizen international advocacy movement Hugh Evans in New York on Wednesday to discuss the importance of education and athletics in helping to break the cycle of poverty.

Hugh Jackman and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Rachel Brosnahan speak onstage during Global Citizen NOW in New York City. Picture: Getty Images

Jackman described a crossroads early in his life when he made the difficult decision to delay launching his acting career on the “biggest show” at the time Neighbours to attend acting school, to the great relief of his father.

“He said it’s most important that you are educated, that you feel confident wherever you go as an actor, and so you made the right choice,” Jackman said.

“And so he’s preached that (importance of education) from the beginning.”

Jackman described himself as a bit of a teacher’s pet in school and gave a shout out to his Year 1 teacher “Mrs Norris”, and his Australian acting coach Lisle Jones for the huge impact they had on his life.

“And there’s 250 million children around the world who have access to none of that (education), access to no opportunity of that happening, and you’re right, it’s an injustice,” he said.

To think our Hugh could have been bound for Ramsay Street. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Jackman, a long-time ambassador for Global Citizen and awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his efforts to help eradicate poverty, recounted his own brief stint as an English and PE teacher during a gap year in England when he was 18.

“I was an Australian in England teaching English to kids who were three years younger than me,” he laughed.

“And these parents, I’m sorry, you guys were paying an exorbitant amount of money at this boarding school and I was the teacher…”.

Jackman spoke alongside good friend Mr Evans who recently became the first Australian awarded the prestigious Sunhak Peace Prize for his work at Global Citizen which aims to eradicate extreme poverty.

Hugh Jackman was king of the kids during Global Citizen NOW. Picture: Getty Images

During the Global Citizen Now event in Manhattan’s Spring Studios, Mr Evans and FIFA President Gianni Infantino together announced a new initiative – the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund which aims to raise $100 million to provide access to quality education and football for children around the world.

The Australian humanitarian who has helped mobilise almost $50 billion to defeat poverty, defend the environment and campaign for equity, quoted Nelson Mandela’s famous comment that “education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”.

The Australian humanitarian who has helped mobilise almost $50 billion to defeat poverty, defend the environment and campaign for equity, quoted Nelson Mandela’s famous words: “education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”.

“I’ve always believed that in a world that can feel so divided, the one thing we can all agree on is that every kid should have a basic education,” Mr Evans said.

“It’s so simple, so profound and so important.”

Mr Evans said while he acknowledged the current difficulties globally, he had great hope for the future.

“I think at the moment around the world, a lot of people feel pretty hopeless, and I understand that the world is a really complex place right now, but I do believe, fundamentally, there is cause for great optimism and we can create enormous change in the world,” he said.

“And the reason why I believe that is, I think that all throughout history, is there has existed this really basic social contract, this idea that we should help our neighbour, we should help rebuild nations when they’re destroyed, we should also serve those less fortunate.”

Through the Global Citizen app, individuals can immediately take action on issues they’re passionate about including education, the environment and food security.

“I’ve seen the power of global citizens around the world when we come together in unison to create change, it is so incredibly powerful,” Mr Evans said.

“Don’t ever let anyone tell you that it isn’t.”

Originally published as Hugh Jackman chose acting school over a role on Neighbours