You might best remember Hugh Jackman as the badass actor behind Wolverine. But when he appeared on The Matt Edmondson Show on BBC Radio 1 back in 2014, Hugh showed off a whole new side to himself in a viral clip that’s since gone on to amass over 4.1 million views!
The Sydney-born theatre boy turned Hollywood A-Lister landed himself in the ‘Surprise Karaoke’ segment of the show, where he was handed a sheet of song lyrics and asked to sing them to the backing track. Show host Matt Edmondson joked about Hugh performing “Wolverine: The Musical,” but when Hugh let his first lines ring out after a bout of nervous laughter, the radio crew was stunned into silence.
This clip hit YouTube a full three years prior to Hugh’s lead role in the Golden Globe Award-winning musical, “The Greatest Showman,” making the moment ten times more shocking for some fans of the “X-Men” legend.
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Hugh, aged 46 in this clip, flipped his Wolverine character on its head, singing hilariously introspective lyrics from Wolverine’s POV to the sensitive tune of Les Miserables’ soundtrack hit, “Who Am I.” Hugh’s rich, bold voice resounds like an operatic stage star, not a man renowned for his epic fight scenes and ferocious killing power on the big screen, showing off the wild diversity of his talents.
Hugh had spent his early ’90s career performing in Australian theatre, later hitting London’s West End to take on the lead role in “Oklahoma!” However, his major 2000 film role in “X-Men” and countless sequel reprises of Wolverine eclipsed his theatre roots for many Jackman fans. Even Hugh’s Tony Award-winning Broadway role in 2003-4’s “The Boy from Oz” may have paled in comparison to the second X-Men installment, “X2,” which hit cinemas during that same period.
But when Hugh finally showed off his natural musical talent to X-Men fans in this clip, they couldn’t believe what they were hearing. One fan commented, “What’s great about Hugh Jackman is that he’s such a good sport for stuff like this. He has a great sense of humour,” another fangirling, “I could listen to his voice all day,” and another noting, “This guy is a real, down-to-earth, stand-up and respectable person.”
But YouTube user @LikeACrouton hit the nail on the head when they posted, “All of you people saying this [clip] ruined Wolverine as a character for you: The fact the man can sing, dance and still appear a bad-ass when necessary should make him more of a boss, not less. A person who just runs around pretending to be a badass at all times is far less interesting than a person good at being themselves and not ashamed about it.”
Hugh Jackman continues to surprise and entertain with his versatile talents, proving there’s more to him than his iconic Wolverine persona. His memorable performance on The Matt Edmondson Show remains a beloved moment for many. For those eager to explore more about Hugh’s journey from Sydney theatre to Hollywood stardom, check out the links below.