The Dark Reason Hugh Jackman Took A Paycut For 'Logan'
Back before the MCU was the dominant force in the comic book movie franchise game, the X-Men franchise was the hottest ticket in town. 2000's X-Men was the film that kicked it all off, and from there, the franchise would have a number of twists and turns, which included hit movies and a few box office bombs. Nevertheless, it is easy to see the influence that the franchise had on the genre.
Hugh Jackman was brilliantly cast as Wolverine in the franchise, and the man became a legendary performer thanks to his time playing the character. Jackman's final Wolverine performance came in 2017's Logan, and fans were surprised to hear that the performer was willing to take a paycut for his swan song.
So, why did Hugh Jackman take a paycut for Logan? Let's take a closer look at Jackman's time playing Wolverine and find out from the film's director, James Mangold.
Hugh Jackman Was Iconic As Wolverine
When looking through the list of iconic superhero performances, few come close to rivaling Hugh Jackman's portrayal of Wolverine. Fans might have groaned that the unknown Aussie was too tall for the character at first, but by the time Jackman wrapped up playing the character, he had turned into a legend of the genre.
2000's X-Men was an important superhero movie that ushered in a new era for the genre, and Jackman began his time as Wolverine in the movie. Despite replacing another actor and nearly being fired a few weeks into filming, Jackman made the most of his opportunity and became a superstar on the big screen.
After delivering one excellent performance after the next in the franchise, Jackman wound up giving his final performance in 2017's Logan. His final performance could not have been better, and since its release, Logan has gone down as one of the best comic book movies to ever grace the big screen.
Jackman did well for himself while playing the character, making bank each step of the way.
He Made Millions Playing The Character
One of the benefits of playing a legendary character is making a monstrous salary, and you had better believe that Hugh Jackman was able to make bank while playing Wolverine on the big screen. He may not have started out making a premium, but as time went on, Jackman made a fortune.
According to GQ, Jackman would pocket $500,000 for his first time playing Wolverine in X-Men, and things would only go up from there. By the time X-Men Origins: Wolverine hit theaters, Jackman was pulling down $20 million for playing the character, making him one of the highest-paid stars around.
During his time in the franchise, "Jackman earned near to $100 million for playing the character, considering upfront salary, promotional payments, as well as press appearances," per GQ.
Jackman could have charged a premium for each outing as Wolverine, but for 2017's Logan, which was to be Jackman's swan song as the character, the actor took a decrease in pay.
He Took A Pay Decrease For An R Rating
So, why did Hugh Jackman agree to a pay decrease for Logan?
Back in 2016, it was confirmed by director James Mangold that Jackman was willing to ditch a portion of his salary so that they could get an R rating for the film. Mangold and Jackman had been wanting to make a R-rated Wolverine flick, and they even had an R-rated version of The Wolverine, but the final release for that film was PG-13.
When speaking about the R rating, director James Mangold said, "[This represents] to me the kind of aggressive, classical Wolverine action that we want in the movie – more of something that fans have been asking for, for a really long time. We’ve been limited in one way or another from giving it to them, but I think we’ve got the go-ahead to really go for it on this picture. So we’re really trying to deliver what folks have always imagined those kind of battles would look like. There is a lot of high-octane action in the movie. We’re just trying to do it very differently and very viscerally."
Getting Logan the proper rating went a long way in the film turning out as great as it did. Some comic book movies benefit from an R rating, as we saw with both Logan and Deadpool. Thankfully, we are now in an era of filmmaking that allows for a little more wiggle room than before.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGifnqqVqHq4tNhmn66fmGK3oq%2FKppinZaSkvKx5wGanmrGTqsFuss6rZKWnl5a7cA%3D%3D