There's no question that Hugh Jackman (who recently turned 53 years old this week) is one of the greatest actors of his generation. He consistently brings tenacity and charisma to his performances, taking on a variety of roles, from tough guys to romantics, as well as a few villainous portrayals of men who are highly ambitious. While he will always be recognized for his tremendous work as Wolverine, there are other films in which he's played underrated roles.
Twenty years ago (shortly after appearing in the first X-Men film as Wolverine), Hugh Jackman starred in James Mangold's Kate & Leopold, a romantic comedy in which he portrays Leopold, the handsome and royal Duke of Albany, as well as a talented scientist who invented the elevator. Leopold accidentally travels from 1876 to 2001, thanks to a stranger he sees and follows named Stuart (played by Liev Schreiber, who would portray Wolverine's brother, Victor, in X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Stuart can go back in time by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge at midnight, and he returns to the present day the same way. One evening in 1876, Leopold follows Stuart to the unfinished Brooklyn Bridge, thinking that Stuart is gonna commit suicide by jumping off, but both men go down, and Leopold wakes up in Stuart's apartment in present-day New York.
James Mangold (who would direct Hugh in The Wolverine and Logan) brings subtle humor and warmness to his feature. Hugh's portrayal of Leopold is engaging because, even though he's in a time period that's new for him due to technological advancements (including the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge, elevators, telephones, TVs, toilets, moving vehicles in traffic, and microwaves), he always acts like a gentleman, using his charm and wit to figure things out. Leopold is also very romantic and charming, especially towards Stuart's ex-girlfriend, Kate (Meg Ryan), who both share similar intelligence, determination, and taste for food and butter. Leopold is also accomodating to Kate's brother, Charlie (Breckin Meyer), by helping him go on a date with the woman he likes.
Another film Hugh did in 2001 was the action film Swordfish, where he portrayed a computer hacker who does an illegal favor for John Travolta's villain in exchange for full custody of his daughter. While Travolta's shadowy character, Gabriel, is a cold-blooded killer who is all about conducting his business thoroughly with no setbacks, Hugh's role as hacker Stanley Jobson isn't the toughest guy in the room, which requires him to be more vulnerable and fearful for his life and his daughter's.
However, unlike Gabriel, Stanley doesn't want to see anyone get hurt or killed, despite the fact that he's forced to steal billions of dollars by hacking a major bank. Unlike other roles that require Hugh to appear like a gentleman, Stanley is a bit of a mess with the way he dresses down and lives in a run-down trailer, but he's an underdog who does everything he can to pull through in the end.
Fifteen years ago, Hugh did in fact take a villainous turn as magician Robert Angier in Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, a thriller where he rivals Christian Bale's magician, Alfred Borden, for the best magic trick, and to seek vengeance for the death of his wife, Julia, after an accident during a water tank act drowns her. Angier blames Borden for tying the wrong knot, preventing Julia from getting out of the tank.
What made Hugh's portrayal of Angier effective is not only his initial determination to get revenge, but his obsession to become the greatest magician (or rather showman) by stealing Borden's magic trick, and to be better than him in every way possible. Angier presents himself as a gentleman who wears fancy suits and top hats during his performances as a magician, but when he plans to take down Borden, he displays a sinister side to his character, including kidnapping his daughter.
In this year's Reminiscence, Hugh plays Nick Bannister, a private investigator who can help people remember special memories in their lives. He becomes obsessed over his own memories with a beautiful woman named Mae. They fall in love and have a beautiful relationship. However, when Mae goes missing, Nick learns that she had hidden secrets.
Reminiscent of The Prestige and Kate & Leopold, Hugh's portrayal of Nick is an everyman who's drawn to the physics of time and memory, including the advancements of technology that help him seek answers to reach particular goals. Nick is also similar to leading men of film noir in the 1930s and 1940s, especially as a man who's caught up in the conflicts of a beautiful, mysterious woman with a dark history. Hugh and Rebecca Ferguson also have terrific chemistry (as they did in The Greatest Showman).
Hugh's roles in these features display vulnerability, obsession, and desperation, as well as romantic attributes. In these films, his characters have to go through tremendous obstacles, and/or face stronger enemies than himself. While Wolverine is his signature role (and will be impossible to replace if taken on in the future), Hugh has proven his versatility over the years in these other great movies. Perhaps more of Hugh's best is yet to come in future films, especially if he does more romance, sci-fi, and film noir thrillers.