Hugh Jackman said he was ‘a hot mess’ filming The Son after his father’s death

Hugh Jackman has said that filming The Son made him realise how vulnerable he was following the death of his father.

Jackman, 54, who plays the role of Peter, a workaholic lawyer with a teenage son, said: “I would be one of the least [likely] people I know who I’d describe as a hot mess, but I certainly was during this.”

The actor’s father died in September 2021, in the middle of filming. Although the subject matter of the film was causing Jackman “anxiety”, he decided not to take time off to grieve.

“My father actually never missed a day of work in his life,” the Wolverine actor told the BBC. “I did imagine what my father would say, and he would say, ‘Go to work.’”

The film explores the life of Peter as he deals with life with a new partner, a young baby, an ex-wife, and a son with depression. Jackman continues to talk to the therapist who helped him through filming, he said.

The Son’s producers also hired psychiatrists on set in case any members of the cast or crew needed to discuss the heavy material. This is something Jackman saw for the first time during filming.

“People used it and it was necessary,” he said.

Conversations around mental health issues are “urgently needed,” Jackman explained, adding that he hoped that The Son may spark these.

“There is a real lack of knowledge and ignorance and shame around the subject and I think it’s something we need to confront, really, really quickly.”

When discussing the current dialogue around scrapping gendered acting categories at award ceremonies, Jackman revealed that he is all in favour of the idea.

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Explaining that he is “a big fan” of having one gender-neutral category, Jackman said: “That would be a really positive step. I don’t understand why it’s split into just two genders when we all know it’s a much bigger spectrum.”

For his performance in The Son, Jackman has been nominated for the Best Actor in a Motion Picture award at both the upcoming Golden Globes and the Satellite Awards.

The Son will be released in UK cinemas on 10 February 2023.