Hugh Jackman met with a group of bloggers/reporters today in a roundtable put together by NBC’s Moms & the City. Jackman stars in the new Dreamworks film Real Steel.
Real Steel is about an ex-boxer, Charlie Kenton (played by Jackman), whose job is replaced by boxing robots in the year 2020 before he can reach the championship. Down and out Charlie reunites with his estranged son to build a boxing robot that can contend for the new modern and mechanical championship whilst rebuilding their own father/son dynamic.
Jackman says the film reminds him of when he was young and watched the movie E.T. with his own father. “It was the first time I saw my father cry.” Jackman says as he notes that films that can cross generations on various levels are both rare and wonderful.
When asked about parenting and adoption Jackman, the father of two adopted children, was very responsive. He says that his children have never had an issue being adopted and that he and his wife are very open about their familial history. He does admit that in some schools he understands that there can be a problem with other children in regards to an “adoption status” but as long as the parents are proactive those problems can be greatly reduced. He also says that it depends entirely on the school and that with some schools a parent must be more proactive than at others. Jackman’s son attends public school in New York while his daughter goes to a private school.
On why he chose New York as his family base Jackman explains that New York is not only the capital of the world in many ways but it is also convenient to get to many places and that as an avid stage performer, being near Broadway is important. Jackman will return to Broadway on October 25th in Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway.
Jackman says that Real Steel
“has something for everyone and that, at the very least, the kids will get wrapped up in the robot storyline while parents will find an emotionally satisfying story in the father/son dynamic of the show.” After reading the script to his son, whose attention grew more and more rapturous with each page, even without the visuals, Jackman knew he “had something unique in his hands.”
Real Steel opens in theatres Friday, October 7, 2011.
