Interview: Hugh Jackman
Singing sensation
Hugh Jackman talks to Latest 7 about his hotly anticipated new film Les Misérables
You’re attempting something that’s never been done with a musical before, singing live on every take. What’s it been like?
“You know, the musical director, Stephen Brooker, said it’s even better than being on stage because when you are in the pit the actors are 15, 20 feet away on stage, whereas here, he said, ‘I know exactly when you are going to breathe and when you are moving on and you need to stop.’ It’s quite a production. And it’s never been done this way before.”
Didn’t you film for a few days in France before switching to England?
“Yes, we did. We were in the mountains, the Alps, in the South of France and it was below freezing and just going dark. I could see the steam coming out of my mouth [laughs]. I could feel the cold in my voice and I was freezing! And somehow that was perfect for playing this guy, Valjean, who is on this journey of purgatory. And even though he’s just been let out of jail he is still carrying that weight of who he was and not being accepted by society. And I knew then and there that’s Tom’s gamble of singing live was going to pay off in a great way.”
It must be harder on your voice singing live for multiple takes?
“You wake up, say seven in the morning, and you are still singing at one in the morning – that’s a long game. It’s not like a theatre show where you pretty much shut down a little bit during the day, take it easy for a few hours, and then you gear up for your performance. You warm up, bang, you are out on stage for two hours. It’s been extraordinary.”
You’ve done musical theatre in Australia, the US and in the UK. Had you met Cameron Mackintosh before this project?
“Trevor Nunn brought me to London to do Oklahoma! and that’s when I first met Cameron. And for years Cameron had been asking me to do the role of Javert on stage.”
Javert, not Valjean?
“Yes. And I’ve always loved the role of Javert. And I haven’t told Russell this, but the very first audition I did, for Beauty And The Beast in Australia when I was straight out of drama school, I sang ‘Stars’ [one of Javert’s songs] from Les Mis. And at the end, the guys said, ‘why did you sing that song?’ And I said, ‘well, it’s the only thing I had music to and I had to learn it in acting school.’ And they said, ‘well I don’t think it really suits you, you should know your voice and it’s really not applicable for this song. Go away and have some singing lessons and come back in a month.’ (laughs) And so when Cameron asked me to play Javert I wanted to ring that guy and say, ‘hey, listen here!’ [laughs]
What is it about this story that has endured and touched so many people?
“If I can simplify it, I think it’s about finding the best in the human spirit. Every character in this story has major obstacles to overcome, bigger than the ones that most of us encounter in life, but we relate to that. It’s about the best of humanity, the human spirit. And that’s why it’s so uplifting. And they all fail, at times, but they don’t give up. Valjean, who I suppose is the hero, fails at the beginning and gets another chance, and another after that. And when he has those chances he makes the most of them. He battles, all the characters do. And even though it’s called Les Misérables, it’s an incredibly uplifting story.”
Les Misérables is in cinemas nationwide now.
