Hugh Jackman reflected on his ‘close’ relationship with his father Christopher John Jackman and talked about how filming The Son helped him mourn his death.
The 54-year-old Australian actor and his brothers Ian and Ralph were raised by Christopher when his mother, Grace McNeil, left her family in Australia to return to the UK.
Sadly, his father died on Australian Father’s Day 2021 when he was filming The Son, a drama about a troubled relationship between a father and his teenage son.
Family: Hugh Jackman reflected on his ‘close’ relationship with his father Christopher John Jackman and talked about how filming The Son helped him mourn his death.
Speaking of his father, Hugh said The Guardian they were ‘close’ and said Christopher taught him many ‘great values’.
He told the publication: ‘My mum left when I was eight so my dad raised us, he taught me really cool values.
“He was never really interested in things like fame and money, he was always encouraging about education and treating people right and keeping your word.”
Hugh said his father watched everything he did and never said a bad word about any of his projects, adding: “A lot of who I am today is thanks to him.”
Single father: The Australian actor, 54, and his brothers Ian and Ralph were raised by Christopher when their mother Grace McNeil left Australia to return to the UK
The Wolverine star went on to talk about what it was like filming The Son, a movie he said made him reflect on his upbringing and his own concerns as a father.
He has two children, Oscar, 22, and Ava, 17, with his wife Deborra-Lee Furness, and admitted that filming The Son was “emotionally difficult” for him.
Hugh, whose father Christopher died in the middle of the project, said: “It was emotionally difficult, and I just got a little carried away, things from my upbringing would come up, my concerns as a father.”
He explained that he began to experience sleepless nights and called it a “disaster” during the filming process at a very emotional time.
Loss: His father sadly died on Australian Father’s Day 2021 when he was filming The Son (pictured), a drama about a troubled relationship between a father and his teenage son.
However, he also said that the drama film made him less critical of people’s mental health issues, particularly the difficulties experienced by some members of his family.
The Son, which is adapted from a play, sees Hugh play a father whose past mistakes with his son Nicholas (Zen McGrath) come back to haunt him. Laura Dern also plays Kate, the ex of Jackman’s character, Peter.
After his own father’s death, Hugh did not take any time off work to grieve and previously said this was because Christopher had never taken a day off.
“My father never missed a day of work,” he told Variety in October.
Emotional: He shares two children, Oscar, 22, and Ava, 17, with wife Deborra-Lee Furness, and has admitted filming The Son was “emotionally difficult” for him.
I could feel it. I knew that if he could talk to me, he would say, “You have to go to work! What are you talking about?” I felt her presence on the set.
Hugh shared the news of his father’s death in September 2021, writing on Instagram: ‘In the early hours of Father’s Day, my dad passed away peacefully.
And even though there is deep sadness, I am filled with so much gratitude and love. My dad was, in a word, extraordinary. He dedicated his life to his family, his work and his faith. I pray that he is now at peace with God.
Hugh has often paid tribute to his father throughout his career, describing him as his ‘rock’ in an interview with 60 Minutes in 2012.
Hugh was eight years old when his mother, Grace, left and returned to the UK from Australia, what he previously described as a “traumatic” experience.
“It was traumatic,” Hugh told Who magazine. ‘I thought he was probably coming back. And then it went on and on.
He said it wasn’t until he was ’12 or 13′ that he realized his mother wasn’t coming back, seeing her ‘once a year’ after she left.
“I remember she was with a towel around her head and she said goodbye. [It] It must have been the way he said goodbye,’ he said.
Difficulties: Hugh was eight years old when his mother Grace left and returned to the UK from Australia, what he previously described as a “traumatic” experience.
‘When I went to school, when I came back, there was no one home.’
He added: ‘The next day there was a telegram from England. Mom was there. And then that was it. Dad used to pray every night for mom to come back.
However, Hugh has since reconciled with his mother Grace and has shared photos of them together on social media.
In 2011, he told The Sun: “I’m 43 now and we’ve definitely made it up, which is important.”
“I was always quite connected with my mother. I have a good relationship with her.
‘I have a good relationship with her’: However, Hugh has since reconciled with his mother Grace and has shared snaps of them together on social media.