Father to son

The Australian actor on family, bereavement and the emotional ordeal of making his latest film

- Chris Godfrey

HUGH JACKMAN IS FEELING REFLECTIVE. All things considered, it’s easy to see why. In his latest film, The Son, he plays an absentee, workaholic father struggling to help his estranged and acutely depressed teenage son. The role changed Jackman, he says, “as a man, as an actor, as a father, as a husband ”. Such a part would inspire a period of introspection for most parents, let alone soon-to-be empty nesters such as Jackman, 54, and his wife, the actor and producer Deborra-Lee Furness (they have two children, Oscar and Ava). So shooting The Son was already an emotionally loaded experience. Then, toward the end of production, his father died.

“We were close,” says Jackman. “Here’s a great way to describe my relationship with my dad: we could go to Test cricket and be totally comfortable sitting together, and over a seven-hour Test we’ll talk for 20 minutes.” Jackman is talking over Zoom from the home of his publicist. He’s relaxed and open as he discusses the difficulties of the past few years – self-deprecating without coming across as false, and often undercutting serious emotional points with a slick punchline and booming laugh.