Hugh Jackman’s 5 Best Performances

His accolades include 1 Tony, 1 Oscar nomination and 1 Golden Globe.
Hugh Jackman’s breakout role went on to be his most famous role in the shape of Wolverine from the X-Men franchise. However, he became much more than a superhero actor. Throughout his career, he’s proven he can be the tough guy but can also sing and dance just as easily.
For such a talented actor, which roles should he be given most praise for? We at ScreenHeads have gone through our Jackman knowledge and plucked out our favourites of his. See below…
5. Robert Angier in The Prestige (2006)

Christopher Nolan’s mystery thriller features Jackman and co-star Christian Bale as rival magicians in the 19th century who are in constant competition to create the greatest stage illusion.
Jackman’s performance was his first chance to show off his stage presence and showmanship on a global scale. He went on to wow audiences with his change in character from previous performances.
Nolan was quoted as saying that Jackman:
has the great depth as an actor that hasn’t really been explored. People haven’t had the chance to really see what he can do as an actor, and this is a character that would let him do that.
4. James ‘Logan’ Howlett/Wolverine in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

The first and not only Wolverine performance to make it into the top 5. This outing had Jackman’s sharp-clawed anti hero front and centre as we got insight into his origins.
Though this was not his first time sporting the muttonchops, it was the first time time the actor got to really dig deeper into the character and explore his demons.
Unfortunately the film was not well received. Although, it did help to give us stronger stories for the character moving forward.
3. Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (2012)

Arguably the role most fitted to Jackman’s repertoire. This screen adaptation of the famous stage musical by Victor Hugo tells the story of escaped convict Jean Valjean in the 19th century who spends decades avoiding the capture of driven policeman Javert whilst also bringing up a factory worker’s daughter.
Even a stunning ensemble cast that includes the likes of Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway couldn’t take the shine off Jackman’s portrayal. The actor shows off his abilities greatly and gets a great chance to show his singing talents to the world more than ever.
If not for Daniel Day-Lewis’ Lincoln performance, Jackman would have easily nabbed the Best Actor statuette at the Oscars.
2. P. T. Barnum in The Greatest Showman (2017)

This musical drama from first time director Michael Gracey tells the story of P .T. Barnum, the man who brought about the circus phenomenon in the mid-19th century (yep, another backdrop of the 1800’s).
Jackman plays Barnum perfectly, again having a chance to play with his natural showmanship and having a chance to appear in a musical as the true leading man. Not as Oscar-worthy performance or film but as enjoyable as ever to watch.
Jackman has openly said that this role as the joyous, ‘glass half-full’ Barnum was perfect after fulfilling his tiring, emotional final outing as Wolverine. Which brings us to the top spot.
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1. James ‘Logan’ Howlett/Wolverine in Logan (2017)

With the comic book genre becoming quite tiresome in some areas, Director James Mangold and Hugh Jackman made sure the world knew there is more shades that can be explored with Logan.
The actor’s last time as Wolverine explored the character in the not-too-distant future as he seeks an easy life for himself and Patrick Stewart’s Charles Xavier, quickly discovering that that isn’t as easy as he hoped.
After almost 20 years in the role, Jackman goes out on a high by looking as physically fit and committed to the role as ever. To say his last performance and the final scenes didn’t have us longing for more features with his version of the grizzled anti-hero are an understatement.
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Agree with our choices? Think others deserved more praise? Let us know in the comment section below!
Jackman can next be seen in Lisa Joy’s 2021 film Reminiscence alongside The Greatest Showman co-star Rebecca Ferguson and Thandie Newton.