Let it never be said that Hugh Jackman is not a slave to his craft. Sure, a die-hard method actor like Christian Bale drops, and gains weight more often than Ant-Man, but his dedication pales in comparison to the story below.
See, Hugh Jackman has wanted to get The Greatest Showman — a film that tells the story of iconic showman P.T. Barnum — made for seven years, and he wasn’t going to let a little thing like cancer stand in his way. Recently, appearing as a guest on The Today Show, the Logan actor recalls the time that he was pitching The Greatest Showman:
“I had a skin cancer and [the doctor] said, ‘You gotta get it out.’ I said, ‘Can we wait until like after the performance?’ He goes, ‘No, it’s cancer.’ So, he put 80 stitches in my nose and everything was fine. And I thought, I’ll turn up the next day and there were probably 80 people, bigwigs all ready to make the decision about will we or won’t we. The director was not happy with me, but I had someone singing for me. So, I would do the scenes, and he would do the song. It came to the last number. I thought, ‘I’ll just sing the first line. I’ll sing the second line, it’s quiet.’ And then I was off, you know. I’m a big ham. So, I started singing, finished the number. It was a good showbiz moment. And then all of a sudden, I felt this trickle of blood.”
It looks like his dedication paid off, as The Greatest Showman is officially releasing this month. The story above serves as just more proof that Jackman may actually be a superhero, as well as a triple-threat.
“The Greatest Showman” is a bold and original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and the sense of wonder we feel when dreams come to life. Inspired by the ambition and imagination of P.T. Barnum, “The Greatest Showman” tells the story of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a mesmerizing spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
The Greatest Showman is set for release on December 2oth in the States and on December 26th in the UK and features a cast that includes Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Michelle Williams, Paul Sparks, Diahann Carroll, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo.
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Originally published December 15, 2017. Updated December 19, 2019.
