Hugh Jackman Is Wearing a Heart Monitor and Eating 6000 Calories a Day to Prepare for This Role

It’s been seven years since Hugh Jackman played the iconic character of Wolverine, last inhabiting the character in the hit 2017 film Logan. But the veteran actor is preparing to don the claws once more. Recently, it was confirmed that Jackman would be playing Wolverine in the upcoming Ryan Reynolds superhero movie Deadpool 3, and for fans, the film can’t come soon enough. But it’s a process for Jackman to get into fighting form. In a recent interview with Stephen Colbert, the actor opened up about the intense eating regimen he’s following in order to bulk up for Deadpool 3. 

What did Hugh Jackman say about bulking up to play Wolverine?

While fans don’t know a lot about Deadpool 3, it has been confirmed that Jackman will be joining Reynolds’ Deadpool. In preparation for filming, Jackman has been hitting the gym hard, building up to the signature bulky look that Wolverine sports. In a recent interview with Stephen Colbert, Jackman opened up about the process he’s following in order to build muscle.

“It’s 6,000 calories,” Jackman said about the amount of food that he consumes on a daily basis. “It’s about 6,000 calories a day. At the moment I’m building up, I’m like four and a half, 5,000 calories a day.” Jackman explained that “I wore a heart rate monitor [while starring in The Music Man] as Harold Hill because my trainer said, “I need to know what I’m working with here, because I’m trying to bulk you up.” I burned 1500 calories in the show, eight times a week. So she goes: ‘oh, you gotta eat.’ So I was eating four and half thousand calories a day…it was not pretty…Now I’m just eating and training.'”

Hugh Jackman has been portraying Wolverine for nearly two decades

Jackman’s association with the character of Logan/Wolverine goes back to 2000, when he had his big breakthrough as the character in the hit movie X-Men. Fans and critics responded well to his take on the comic book character, and over the years that followed (17 years to be precise), Jackman reprised the role multiple times, including in the blockbusters X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Jackman has also made cameo appearances as the character in numerous other movies, such as X-Men: First Class.

Most recently, Jackman portrayed an older, jaded version of Wolverine in the 2017 action/adventure film Logan. Praised for its gritty tone and heartfelt performances, Logan is widely considered to be one of the best superhero films ever made. While many believed that Logan would be Jackman’s swan song as the character, it’s clear that the actor isn’t quite ready to hang up his superhero hat quite yet.

Hugh Jackman received a Golden Globe nomination for his work in ‘The Son’

Jackman is tackling other projects even as he prepares to play Wolverine again. Recently, he wrapped up his run in a revival of the hit Broadway show The Music Man. And he is also earning acclaim for his work in the recently-released drama The Son. The movie, which also stars Laura Dern and Vanessa Kirby, tells the story of a father grappling with regret and sadness even as he struggles to connect with his estranged teenage son.

Jackman received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for his acting in The Son, according to IMDb, proving that even after so many years as a top-performing star, he’s still got what it takes to impress critics and fans.