Hugh Jackman was convinced he ‘didn’t get’ Wolverine role after flunking the audition

Hugh Jackman has become one of the biggest leading men in Hollywood, but he’s now confessed it almost never happened.

Hugh Jackman has revealed that he almost lost out on the Hollywood role that skyrocketed him to global fame.

The 55-year-old became an international leading man when he starred in 2000s superhero movie X-Men, which went on to become the first in a long line of successful comic book movies.

Hugh Jackman pays tribute to Shane Warne during his memorial service screened at the MCG. Picture: YouTube

The star has now revealed that when he went in for his first audition, he immediately knew he “hadn’t got the part” after messing up.

As he was leaving the audition, Kevin Fiege, who is now the President of Marvel Studios, invited the then-young actor to dinner with him and the screenwriter, and then drove Jackman to the airport.

Jackman, who had yet to score a role in Hollywood at the time, recalled the moment, saying: “I said, ‘Kevin, we all know I’m not getting the part. You don’t have to do dinner.’” he told Entertainment Weekly. “But no, he sat in there and had a steak dinner with me and then drove me to the airport. I’ll never forget it. That was the nicest thing. I thought, I’ll never see him again.”

Wolverine proved to be Jackman’s career-making role, and made him the star he is today. Picture: 20th Century Fox

Thankfully, it worked out in the end, and Jackman went on to score the role of Wolverine.

Jackman’s latest reveal comes afer he confessed in an unearthed interview that he’s had his moments on-set where he’s been anything but nice to people.

“I’m not always nice,” he told The Guardian.

“I’ve had my moments on set, for sure, when I haven’t been nice. And I’ve behaved sometimes on set where I’ve yelled a bit or done something where I’ve been angry that I’m not proud of.”

He went on to share that his good manners come from how he was raised, adding: “I had a great example, particularly from my father, of always trying to be respectful. Everyone is trying their hardest. And my experience is if you turn up, you give everything, you act respectfully, then that’s generally what you get from other people.”

Jackman – who mere months after the interview announced his split from his wife — shared one thing he wishes he had done differently in his personal life to have put less strain on his family.

“I would have moved around less,” he continued. “But I thought – Deb and I thought – at the time: I’m doing movies; the lesser of two evils is to have everyone together. I’m not 100 per cent sure, but sometimes stability may have been more beneficial.

“There was a period where things were hitting for me and I felt like: I’ve got to take this opportunity. But I look back now and I go: you could have just completely chilled out there and everything would have been fine.”

Originally published as Hugh Jackman was convinced he ‘didn’t get’ Wolverine role after flunking the audition