The blockbuster movie season has scarcely begun and already Logan is the superhero movie to beat. In a year that will see two films from DC, three from Marvel Studios, a new Star Wars movie, and dozens of other genre films, the bar has already been set with the stark and audacious story, chronicling the near-future of the X-Men franchise. Wonky timeline issues aside, Hugh Jackman’s last outing as Wolverine is an apropos way to say goodbye to the character, after seventeen years of playing him across nine films.

The movie has already grossed $9.5 million from Thursday screenings, and is all set for a huge opening weekend. Considering it only technically came out today, that’s pretty good. And given the popularity of the character, it’s hard to imagine Fox wanted to let go. With Jackman officially out, however, that will mean recasting the character. The actor is more than happy to see the mantle passed, and part of his reluctance to return is likely the physical toll it takes on him. Jackman has regularly shared his workout secrets and progress as he’s grown increasingly bulky for his role as Wolverine. That intense regimen is something he’s likely keen to leave behind now that he’s popped his claws for the last time.

While promoting the film on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jackman shared a humorous anecdote about being too “out of shape” to do the shirtless scenes in the first film. You can watch the full interview above, but below we’ve grabbed the details about the grueling process the actor landed on to fill out his tank top:

“I find out the date, which is the shirt-off scene. And it’s about a three month run-up. So you gotta be in good shape, but the three months before is very specific. And it finishes with dehydration. [To the audience] Don’t do this at home.”

He goes on to talk about limiting his water-intake for a day and half prior to shooting to make the veins and muscles pop in the scenes, reiterating not to try it at home. The rest of the interview involves Colbert joking about Hugh becoming “Fat Jackman” now that he’s finished with the role. The two also discuss how the actor came up with the idea for the film, two years ago to the day. It’s a fun and fascinating interview, and highlights one of the reasons Jackman is likely happy to be done with the role, bittersweet as it may be.

All of this talk about getting into shape to play Wolverine also makes it even harder to imagine Bob Hoskins in the role, something Chris Claremont was hoping would happen back in the late ’80s. Instead, the role went to Jackman and kicked off his career as his first major American film role. Though it may seem impossible to separate the man from the character, here’s hoping Dafne Keen’s X-23 gets the chance to shine in a future film. Until then, we’ll be waiting for the Deadpool teaser that was shown at the beginning of Logan to be released online.

Source: Late Show with Stephen Colbert

  • Wolverine 3 Release Date: 2017-03-03 Deadpool 2 Release Date: 2018-05-18