ABC/Paula Lobo(LOS ANGELES) — Hugh Jackman almost made the switch from being Wolverine to a CGI feline when offered a role in the movie Cats, but in the end, he didn’t take it — and here’s why.
After being asked in an interview with The Daily Beast if he turned down a role in the Broadway musical turned Hollywood film, he candidly answered, “Umm… yep.”
The 51-year-old actor then revealed that he had a chat with the movie’s director, Tom Hooper, and had a few choices in terms of the character he would have portrayed.
“Tom [Hooper] rang me early on because we did Les Mis together, and there were a couple of options there based on availability and time, and I really…yeah, I just wasn’t available at the time,” he cryptically explained.
Cats ended up being a box office disappointment with a measly 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes after movie-goers slammed the film’s botched visual effects. Despite the movie being critically panned, that doesn’t necessarily mean Jackman is glad he missed the opportunity.
“I’m in the theater, man, and I don’t want to be in the business of bashing people — or jumping on bandwagons,” he said.
It also helps that he hasn’t actually seen it yet, even though he praised “Tom Hooper’s one of the great filmmakers we have.”
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