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The first X-Men film was Hugh Jackman's big break in Hollywood and having had no previous experience in big-budget films he was lucky enough to have two of the best mentors anyone could ask for.
Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart both gave him pieces of advice that Hugh still follows to this day.
In a recent interview with Stephen Colbert, Hugh revealed what Sir Ian Mckellen told him when they first started shooting:
He said, ‘It’s going to feel really uncomfortable. When you’re acting on film, it feels uncomfortable, but it will look great. Just go with it.’ And I always remember that, because when you begin in film, it’s stop, start. It’s very weird. You’re never acting for more than a minute and a half at a time.
And later on, Sir Patrick Stewart told him what his routine was in order to deal with his extremely busy schedule, which Hugh also started having when he rose to fame:
He said, ‘I learned when I was about 60 — and I wished I had learned it when I was younger — I give myself time of day at the beginning.’ So, if he has a 5 a.m. wake-up call for a film, he wakes up a 4 a.m., he goes and gets a cup of tea, he comes back to bed with his favorite book.
He says, ‘I don’t read the paper because it makes me angry. I don’t read emails because that stresses me. I don’t read a script, I get nervous. I just read a book. So I know that no matter what happens for the rest of the day, I’ve had a half hour.’
So, I’ve done that. My wife and I wake up every morning, get a cup of tea — coffee for me — and we sit in bed and we just read.
It really shows how Hugh remains humble and deeply touched by the helping hand those two incredible men were willing to extend to him.