Prior to the launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), there were several Marvel franchises evolving separately in the industry. Among them is the X-Men franchise, which starred both Hugh Jackman and Anna Paquin.

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As fans know, Jackman famously portrayed mutant Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine, while Paquin played Rogue. And after years of working together, one can’t help but wonder what the relationship between these co-stars is like.

They Became Instant Friends

Jackman and Paquin started working together in the 2000 film X-Men. Interestingly, the two actors were introduced to each other early on during pre-production. Perhaps, what fans don’t realize is that Jackman wasn’t the original actor tapped to play Wolverine. In the beginning, the role belonged to Dougray Scott. However, Scott was too busy with the production of Mission: Impossible II that he eventually had to bow out.

After that, the film’s producers went to work on recasting for the part as soon as possible. That’s when they happened upon the Aussie star. “We had to keep looking and the last-minute choice came from London, where Hugh Jackman was doing Oklahoma!” producer Ralph Winter recalled while speaking with SYFY Wire. From the beginning, Jackman blew them away. “You forget that he was a child actor. He worked his tail off for a lot of years.”

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Around this time, they also asked Jackman to do several screen tests. Some also included scenes with Paquin who thought of helping the actor out. “There I was with Anna Paquin. I remember, she stayed behind for 10 hours after she’d finished working to screen test with me,” Jackman recalled during an interview with Den of Geek. “She said, ‘I’ll stay and read with you.’ And she was literally a little girl in that first movie when we started.”

X-Men would mark Jackman’s Hollywood debut and around this time, he probably didn’t realize that the movie would be more challenging than he ever expected.

Anna Paquin Recalled How Hard Things Were For Hugh Jackman

The 2000 film featured a lot of action scenes revolving around Jackman’s character. Behind the scenes, things were just as intense. In fact, while speaking on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, Paquin said that the actor “got put through the wringer.” Jackman himself thought that his time in the movie was in jeopardy since it didn’t seem like he was meeting expectations. During an interview with E! News, Jackman recalled a time when studio executive Tom Rothman visited the set. “He told me that he believed in me, that from the moment he'd seen my tape he had a gut feeling I was the guy, but watching my dailies was like watching someone put a lampshade over a light.” Ouch.

On the other hand, Paquin thought her co-star was giving it his all, especially when it came to the physical demands of the role. “It’s minus 40 [degrees] and he’s being dropped off some building onto his back over and over and over again.” At the same time, Jackman also struggled to handle Wolverine’s signature cigar, given the claws he was wearing. That’s when Paquin gave him a hand. “I did have to pick cigar out of his teeth because he couldn’t do it with his claws [out] without causing personal damage.”

Meanwhile, Paquin was also impressed by how Jackman conducted himself despite all the production rigors he was dealing with. The actress remembered that her co-star “never ever complained.” Paquin also added that he “still has all the time in the world to be a nice, normal person.” In the end, the co-stars also became the best of friends on set. “Hugh was the person I was always closest with because I had all my scenes with him.”

Their Bond Remained Strong Years Later

When Jackman went to work on the 2014 film X-Men: Days of Future Past, it felt great to have everyone back together. That included Paquin who was all grown up by the time they shot this film. Of working with her then, Jackman recalled that they enjoyed “talking about children and babies.” He added, “So it’s amazing that the same friendship and camaraderie is still there.”

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At the same time, Paquin also once posted a throwback photo of the two of them on set. In the caption, she wrote, “Someone recently sent me this pic of me and @thehughjackman shooting the 1st #xmen movie roughly TWENTY YEARS AGO... Don’t we both look like BABIES?! And clearly we were having a miserable time...”

X-Men: Days of Future Past was the last film that Paquin and Jackman ever worked together. Jackman reprised his role one final time in the 2017 film Logan while Paquin has expressed interest in reprising her character if an opportunity presents itself.

At the moment, it is unclear if Paquin and Jackman would ever do another movie again. That said, it seems the former co-stars have kept in touch. Paquin also said that Jackman hasn’t changed to this day. “He is still a lovely, gracious human being.”

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