Hugh Jackman opens up about his father’s death and his relationship with his children

Hugh Jackman spoke about his father’s death and his relationship with his children in an emotional talk.

The 54-year-old actor stars in The Son, a powerful parenthood drama in which his character Peter Miller’s past mistakes with his teenage son Nicholas (Zen McGrath) come back to haunt him and he and his ex-wife fight to help him.

Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, he revealed that his own father Christopher, whose cause of death has not been disclosed, died during the film’s production, which he described as a “very emotional moment”.

He added: ‘I’m so grateful to every member of the cast and crew. When you’re going through something like that, and you’re making a movie that’s so intense that you just can’t do it alone and you have to lean on people.’

During the episode, he also revealed that playing the role, in which the son appears to be going through a mental health crisis, had a profound impact on his parenting style.

The star, who shares foster children Oscar, 22, and Ava, 17, with wife Deborra-Lee Furness, 67, said: “It changed me as a father.

“A beautiful line in the script is ‘Love isn’t always enough,’ which is one of the hardest things for a parent to hear.

‘I realized that it’s okay to say to my own kids, ‘I don’t know’ and to be open and vulnerable. I used to think they wanted security and strength from me, but now I share with them things I didn’t have before.

‘Hopefully I’m not boring daddy doing it and they appreciate it.’

He appeared on the show with Judi Dench, Michael B. Jordan, Eugene Levy, Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, and Pink.

The actor also revealed that his new film is tied to The Father, an earlier psychological drama about a woman’s struggle with her father’s dementia.

Hugh added: ‘It’s connected spiritually and thematically. It’s about a family facing a crisis and I hope it’s a movie that starts conversations about mental health.

“It’s beautifully written, beautifully produced, and I think it will touch everyone.”

The star previously spoke about his father’s death in 2022, revealing that he died on Father’s Day 2021.

speaking to Variety about working on The Father, Hugh explained why he didn’t take time off to grieve his family’s tragedy.

He said: ‘My father never missed a day of work. He 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.

The Broadway star went on to share more personal details about his father’s death, revealing that he knew it was “close to the end.”

“Obstantially he was gone, mentally,” Hugh said. ‘He would still smile a little. He didn’t know that he was going to die physically, but he knew that it was some kind of goodbye.

In the wake of his father’s death, the Oscar nominee found himself dealing with a traumatic issue while filming The Son.

He “just started crying” during a particularly emotional scene, he said.

The film employed on-set psychologists to provide support to the cast and crew.

“The subject was very difficult,” said Hugh. ‘Many days, crew members were saying, ‘I need help.’ Some of them would be gone for a few hours.

Hugh first shared the news of his father Christopher’s passing in September 2021. The British-born accountant is believed to have been 84 when he died.

“In the early hours of Father’s Day, my dad passed away peacefully,” the X-Men star wrote on Instagram.

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.

Christopher raised Hugh and his brothers Ian and Ralph as a single father in Sydney after his wife Grace McNeil returned to the UK with their daughters Zoe and Sonya.

Hugh was only eight years old at the time.

Hugh, who married his wife Deborra-Lee in 1996, has often paid tribute to his father throughout his career, describing him as his ‘rock’ in an interview with 60 Minutes in 2012.

‘It’s always, ‘How’s Deb?’ It’s not about work and I think he’s living with probably some of his regrets and feelings that maybe he… at the wrong time put too much into his career and he doesn’t want me to make that mistake,” she said. . he told of the advice his father had given him.

‘And so, with his gentle way, he always reminds me that this is the most important thing.’

In a 2020 Instagram post, Hugh wrote: ‘My father taught me to always keep my promises… Even if it turns out there is a better option or something that will benefit me more. Be true to your word.