Three years ago, the world said goodbye to Wolverine. Hugh Jackman ‘s career-defining role finally came to an end after nearly 17 incredible years.
Hugh helped create the paradigm of comic book storytelling and for that, I will always be grateful.
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As a way of saying thanks to Hugh and all that he’s given us over the years, I’ve managed to compile these 10+ Logan behind-the-scenes secrets that fans didn’t know.
Liev Schreiber nearly returned as Sabretooth.
Liev first appeared as Sabretooth in X-Men: Origins and was remembered for his incredible performance.
He was invited to return but had to decline due to scheduling conflicts with Ray Donovan .
Hugh Jackman was in incredible shape.
A bit of a redundant statement, I know. Not only was Hugh’s workout routine Herculean, but his water intake was massive.
Hugh was drinking 3 liters of water a day leading up to his shirtless scenes. 36 hours before shooting, he’d dehydrate himself entirely.
Hugh Jackman wanted a different end for *Logan*.
Hugh Jackman wanted everyone to keep an open mind when it came to saying goodbye to Logan. Originally, he even suggested that it might be more impactful to have Logan live.
Eventually, he did agree that the film’s ending was the perfect send off.
Jerry Seinfeld convinced Hugh Jackman to retire as Wolverine.
Jerry told Hugh that in his opinion , you should never completely exhaust yourself creatively. There should always be a little something left over.
Hugh took Jerry’s advice and decided to leave the party before it got too late.
The movie made both Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart weep with joy.
Logan marked the end of a historic run for both men. Understandably, Hugh and Patrick had mixed emotions when it came to completing the film.
On the one hand, they were incredibly proud. But on the other, it was the end of one of the happiest times of both their lives.
The *Logan* storyline is based on a Marvel comic called “Old Man Logan.”
In the comics, Wolverine is in hiding and living in a post-apocalyptic world.
When a new set of mutants rises to power, Wolverine must rise up and be a hero one final time.
One of Patrick Stewart’s favorite scenes was totally improvised.
Toward the end of the film, as Professor Xavier and Logan are eating dinner in the farmhouse, they spark a conversation with their newfound friends.
According to Patrick Stewart, James Mangold always intended for them to ad-lib this scene.
Hugh Jackman had to fight during Xavier’s seizures.
In order to make things look more realistic, Hugh was restrained and held back by two men with a rope.
Can you imagine having to restrain Hugh Jackman in full Wolverine mode? Count me out.
Millie Bobby Brown auditioned!
Even though she didn’t get the part, Millie says that this was one of the greatest experiences of her professional life.
It was one of the first times that she felt like an actor.
Hugh Jackman does have someone in mind to pick up his mantle.
According to Hugh, he has full confidence that the character and the franchise will be rebooted.
When he was asked whom he’d like to see carry on the claws, he responded by saying X-23 should continue the story.
The title was changed from *Wolverine* to *Logan*.
Not only was this done as a reference to the original comic book, but director James Mangold wanted to emphasize the subject of his story.
It’s the man behind the mask that most matters to James.
Dafne Keen blew everyone away with her audition tape.
According to Patrick Stewart, Dafne had asked director James Mangold if she could improvise some of her lines during the scene.
She began yelling and cursing at Hugh Jackman in perfect Spanish. A feat that blew Sir Patrick away.
According to Hugh Jackman, Dafne hit him so hard that she bruised his arm!
Hugh admits that he’s gone up against some pretty big and burly men over the course of his career but there’s never been anyone who’s left a mark quite like Dafne .
Hugh Jackman agreed to take a pay cut.
As you can probably imagine, the studio was worried about alienating a substantial portion of their audience with an R-rating.
To help ease their concern, Hugh agreed to take a considerable chunk off his paycheck in exchange for the rating.
Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart are in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Both Hugh and Patrick played their respective roles in the X-Men universe for 16 years 228 days.
As of today, there is no other actor who even comes close to portraying a character for such an incredible length of time.
