Hugh Jackman Makes Peace With Other Actors Playing Wolverine

In 2000, the world was introduced to one of the key characters of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men franchise. When the first X-Men movie debuted, Australia’s Hugh Jackman found himself donning the mutant’s claws, and the actor has continued to unsheathe the weapons for years. Nearly 20 years after turning Wolverine into a household name, Jackman is poised to bow out of the iconic role with Logan next month. And, now, the leading man has admitted he’s at peace with another up-and-coming star taking Wolverine’s role in his absence.

Speaking with the New York Times, Jackman looked back on his superhero stint and stressed it was only a matter of time until another star took up Wolverine.

“The character will go on,” he explained. “Someone else will play it, for sure.”

Jackman confessed he was at peace with that particular revelation. After all, superhero characters are bigger than one actor; Their mythos will endure long after a star chooses to bring them to life on-screen. For Jackman, he is okay with another actor picking up his legacy. Well, mostly.

According to Jackman, he would be fine with the transferal “unless Daniel Day-Lewis plays him and wins the Oscar — then I might have a little problem.”

Later in his interview, Jackman commented that classically trained actors tend to have more trouble letting go of roles than others. “Occasionally, you feel, hang on a minute — that’s my role!” he said. “Macbeth is what I played! Shylock is what I played! What are they doing?”

Still, those around Jackman have said the star is taking the transition in stride. Patrick Stewart, who plays Professor Xavier, told the magazine he believes Jackman “very much senses” the weight of Wolverine’s loss. “But I have to tell you, Hugh Jackman carries that weight very lightly.”

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Logan takes place in the year 2029, where mutant births have become extremely rare. The defenders of mutant kind, the X-Men, are long gone, and the only remains of them are an old and struggling Charles Xavier and a weary Logan. Logan’s vaunted healing factor has slowed, and at times doesn’t seem to work at all. When a young mutant needs his help, Logan has to unsheathe his claws once more. His job isn’t over yet.

Logan stars Hugh Jackman (Logan), Boyd Holbrook (Donald Pierce), Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier), Dafne Keen (Laura Kinney/X-23), Doris Morgado (Maria), Stephen Merchant (Caliban), Elizabeth Rodriguez (Gabriela), and Richard E. Grant (Dr. Zander Rice). James Mangold is directing and helped on the screenplay along with Scott Frank and Michael Green.

Logan hits theaters on March 3, 2017.