Wolverine’s Hugh Jackman replaces one pair of sideburns for another in a movie adaptation of the hit musical Les Miserables. He talks to Susan Griffin about tackling the role of a lifetime.

If you’ve been known to lather up and enjoy a good old sing-song in the bathroom, then you’re in good company.

“I always sing in the shower,” says a smiling Hugh Jackman. “I sing most days of my life and the shower’s where I spend a good 10 minutes.”

He showcases his vocal prowess in the movie adaptation of the long-running musical Les Miserables, playing the story’s protagonist, Jean Valjean.

“You follow him for a 20-year span, and throughout that time you see all the ups and downs, the pain and the ecstasy that life brings,” says Jackman, who puts in a tour de force performance as the reformed convict which won him a Golden Globe at the weekend.

“Valjean’s like a Hamlet; he’s one of those parts you hope one day you’re going to get to play apart from in your bathroom.”

Although best known for his movie roles, notably as X-Men’s Wolverine, Jackman, 44, boasts an impressive theatrical background, having starred in productions such as Sunset Boulevard and Oklahoma. Recently he performed a one-man show on Broadway. He even got to do a few song and dance numbers at the Academy Awards four years ago.

“All the things I’ve done leading up to [Les Miserables] whether it be on stage or in film, I feel came together in this role. It’s the role of a lifetime,” says the Australian native.

“I’ve been in musical theatre for a number of years and I’ve done movies for a number of years, so there have been two sides of my career that’s felt slightly schizophrenic,” he explains.

“For a long time I’ve wanted to combine the two and I’d dreamt of being in a movie musical.”

But the Emmy and Tony-award winning actor didn’t think a big screen adaptation of Les Miserables was possible.

“It’s been around 27 years, it’s so iconic and the idea it could be made into a film wasn’t even on my radar,” he says of the production that’s been seen by more than 60 million people in 42 countries and 21 languages.

Then Jackman’s agent heard a potential movie was in the pipeline. “I immediately rang Cameron [Mackintosh, the theatre producer] and said, ‘Oh my God, I’ve got to do this’. I’ve never been so aggressive going for a part,” he says, grinning.

Director Tom Hooper has since described Jackman as “a genius at both acting and singing”, but he cringes at the mention of this.

Hundreds wanted to join star-studded cast

The county has a starring role in Les Miserables as Tom Hooper’s epic musical was partly filmed in Chatham.

The star-studded cast descended on the Historic Dockyard in March last year to film the eagerly anticipated movie. One month before, hundreds of people queued up for their chance to become an extra when auditions were held at Chatham Maritime.

The extras are organising a special screening of the film later in the year in conjunction with the Rochester Film Society. It will include a question and answer session. Details are due to be release later this month. Search Rochester Film Society on Facebook to find out more.

Why getting Russell Crowe opposite is good

Based on the novel by Victor Hugo and set against the social and political upheavals of 19th century France, Les Miserables is an epic tale about broken dreams, unrequited love and a timeless testament to the endurance of the human spirit.

It begins with prisoner Valjean (Hugh Jackman) being released by Javert (Russell Crowe), an officer in charge of the convict workforce who tasks himself with hunting Valjean down when he later breaks his parole.

“There’s the old adage that great actors make other actors look good, so trust me if you’re ever in a movie and you can get Russell opposite you it’s a good thing,” says Jackman, who credits his fellow Aussie co-star for mentoring him early in his career.

Unusually for a movie musical, the cast – which includes Anne Hathaway as factory worker turned prostitute Fantine, Eddie Redmayne as politically-minded student Marius and Amanda Seyfried as Valjean’s ward Cosette – sang live on set. For that reason director Tom Hooper insisted on an intense nine-week rehearsal period before the cameras started rolling.

“Normally rehearsals can be a little half-hearted but it wasn’t like that. Tom was literally moving his chair to be three feet away and we did a lot of exploring, which made us really focused on set,” says Jackman.

For local screenings of Les Miserables, click here.