Hugh Jackman had a great year in 2006 in terms of exploring his acting skills, starring in three brilliant films from legendary directors, including The Fountain. The Australian actor starred alongside Rachel Weisz in the sci-fi romantic tragedy film, which was directed by Weisz’s then-fiancé, Darren Aronofsky.
In the film, Jackman portrayed three characters, exploring the journey of a man traveling through time to find a cure for mortality and save the love of his life. It was a deviation from the X-Men actor’s usual action-packed roles.
Hugh Jackman Was Not Comfortable Doing The S*x Scenes
As it turns out, Hugh Jackman felt extremely uncomfortable while filming intimate scenes in the movie, because of Aronofsky’s relationship with The Mummy actress. He even feared that the director might assault him during a steamy s*x scene. The Real Steel actor recounted:
“In the scene, she pulls me in the bath and we start kissing. Darren didn’t shout, ‘Cut,’ so we kept kissing. Rachel started to take off my shirt and I was thinking, ‘Shall we keep going?’ Then I heard Darren yelling, ‘Take off his pants! Take off his pants!’ But we couldn’t do it. He said, ‘Why did you stop?’ And I said, ‘Because I thought you were going to beat the crap out of me.’”
Ironically, Aronofsky later revealed that it was Hughman who suggested casting Rachel Weisz in the role. Though, Weisz wanted the part she did not want to use her personal relationships with the director to get professional opportunities.
Hugh Jackman Was Not Aronofsky’s First Option Either
Although Hugh Jackman delivered an absolutely fantastic performance in the film, he wasn’t initially Aronofsky’s first choice. Aronofsky had envisioned the film with Brad Pitt, but the Troy actor was not available at the time. Jackman didn’t come to Aronofsky’s mind immediately because of his prominent action star image as Wolverine in the X-Men series.
Aronofsky initially doubted whether The Prestige actor could pull off the emotional range of The Fountain character. Aronofsky’s perspective shifted when he attended Jackman’s play Australia. After the show, Aronofsky had nothing but praise for the Scoop actor:
“He just lit up the room. At the end of the show, I’m suddenly with everyone else on my feet–standing ovation, you know. And, I talked to him, and he was a really nice guy, and everyone will tell you how nice a guy he is. But, he’s authentically nice in the sense that when we were on set, he would treat every P.A. in the same way he treated me.”
Jackman was thrilled to collaborate with Weisz on the project. The Greatest Showman actor was mesmerized by his co-star’s skills. The mutual appreciation among the actors and director was evident in the movie, contributing to its cult following over the years.
The Fountain is available for streaming on Prime Video.
Source: Showbiz Cheatsheet
