In an effort to give my blog a bit of structure, I’m wading into the world of theme days. From this point forward — or until I change my mind — Fridays at Flights of Fancy will now all about the “free-for-all.” The overall goal? Fun, frivolous, and fabulous.
Today I offer sexy fun in the form of my favorite actor ever, Hugh Jackman. He first surfaced on my radar in his role as Wolverine in Bryan Singer’s X-Men (2000), and ever since then I’ve managed to catch almost every film that he’s been in.
His range is impressive. He’s done big-budget action films like Swordfish and the X-Men franchise. He’s played the lead in romantic comedies like Someone Like You and Scoop, and tried his hand at drama (see Erskinville Kings and The Fountain). Better yet, he also cuts a fine figure in period costume (Kate and Leopold and The Prestige are the best examples of this), which never fails to make my heart beat a bit faster.
While Hugh is an incredible actor, it’s his singing and dancing skills that make me swoon. A true triple threat, he got his early start in musical and stage productions in Australia, and eventually found his way to London’s West End for his turn as Curly in the 1998 revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma.
Hugh earned an Olivier nomination for this role and it’s little wonder: he was (and still is) charmingly infectious, with a voice that sends shivers down my spine.
Since then, he’s gone on to win a Tony award for his role as Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz. He’s also hosted the Tony awards three times (one of the few performers to have that honor), as well as the 2009 Academy Awards, for which he won an Emmy award. The opening number, complete with silly cardboard sets and an incredibly cute duet with Anne Hathaway, is one of my favorite moments in Oscar awards history.
More recently, Hugh’s been on tour with a one-man show (sadly, I missed his run in San Francisco, and I am totally heart-broken about it). He also appeared on the 2011 Tony awards with host Neil Patrick Harris for a hilarious “dueling duet.”
While he has a few films in the works, including Reel Steel, coming out in November 2011, I’m more excited about the recent announcement that he may take the role of Jean Valjean in the upcoming big screen production of Les Miserables. I’m crossing my fingers that the project actually happens, as Les Miz is one of my all-time favorite musicals, and I think Hugh’s got the acting and singing chops to pull it off.
I close with this 2010 Lipton commercial for a final fun, silly, frivolous trea for this Friday. The dancing! Seriously, he looks like he’s having so much fun that I am torn between giggling like mad and sighing with delight.
-oOo-
Any fun weekend plans afoot?
August 5, 2011 at 4:35 pm
I love Hugh Jackman I saw him at comic con he is just as lovely in person as he is on screen.
August 5, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Alicia, I’m sooooo jealous! I’ve heard so many wonderful fan stories attesting to his nice-guy persona, and I’m glad to hear that you’ve also had the same experience. One of these days, I swear, I am going to find some way to throw myself into his path. :p
Have a lovely weekend!
August 5, 2011 at 4:39 pm
I never realized he could sing. That’s pretty cool. His voice is… pretty good. Neil is a lot better. I don’t really think he has the singing chops for Jean Valjean. But they probably don’t care about that. Look who they cast in the Phantom movie. God, that was awful.
August 5, 2011 at 5:57 pm
Pfft, Phantom of the Opera was an absolute travesty. I was a little heart-broken because POTO has been my favorite musical since I was roughly 7 years old, and I’ve listened to the original London cast soundtrack more times than I can count. I think the only person who had any singing skill in the whole cast was Patrick Wilson, who of course has a stage background. Hugh, I think, is a lot better than Gerard Butler. :p
Have a lovely weekend!
November 9, 2011 at 3:45 pm
Great post Lena. I’d love to see him in Les Miz, he’s a true triple threat. And he’s perfect for a Friday Free for All!