Hugh Jackman is a huge fan of Neill Blomkamp’s films so when the invitation to join the director for his latest project, Chappie, arrived, it was, says the actor, an instant ‘yes’.
Indeed, says Jackman, Chappie reminds him of Blomkamp’s dazzlingly impressive 2009 feature debut, the critically acclaimed District 9. Both feature brilliant effects and stunning action sequences within a gripping, thought-provoking story – in Chappie’s case the story of a sentient robot who has to learn how to survive in a terrifyingly violent, dangerous underworld.
“I’ve got to tell you, I was a massive fan of District 9 and I spoke with Neill on the phone and was just thrilled with the opportunity to work with him,” says Jackman.
“He told me about the story, which I really liked – I thought it was a really interesting story, right in Neill’s wheelhouse.
“I also think it’s a very valid, essential argument about AI and where we’re going. We live in one of the tipping points of history, I think, where technology is getting to an incredibly intelligent and extraordinary level, and who knows where it will go?
“We have very few regulations on it, and it’s not discussed a lot. I think Neill is – in a very entertaining, moving, emotional way – really bringing that argument to the table.
“I enjoyed the script. It really reminded me of District 9. It’s very character-based, and I think it’s very moving actually. Sharlto (Copley) – I’m a big fan of, and Dev (Patel). The cast is great and it was just one of those ones that felt like a no-brainer to me.”
Jackman plays Vincent as an Aussie – like the actor himself – and Blomkamp provided his backstory: he’s an ex-military man brought up in the Australian Outback most at home in shorts.
“Yeah, that’s sort of his shtick,” Jackman says of his character’s no-nonsense, straight- talking Aussie style. “The shorts idea was actually Neill’s. He sent it to me and I laughed. He’s very bold, Neill. He likes big choices. He likes to go for it, he likes to have fun.
“I play him a bit like that kind of guy who feels he’s the guy who everyone likes in the office, you know? But in truth, they don’t. He goes around thinking he is the guy, but increasingly he’s in this world where he sees young, techy, brilliant geniuses who are outstripping him, outdoing him. His life’s work is becoming redundant, and almost being laughed at.
“It’s this guy whose world is shrinking, in a way, and whose possibilities are shrinking. You mix that with the quality of someone who does not want to lose and who will not lose, and will do anything to protect his life work – even lay his life on the line – then it’s kind of an explosive mix.”
One of the hallmarks of Blomkamp’s films, says Jackman, is that they work on several levels because mixed in with the humour and the spectacular action sequences, there is plenty of food for thought, too.
“It’s a very emotional story about this innocent being coming into this world, and how impressionable we all are, and how our destinies can all be changed by our surroundings, or by our circumstances.
“When you speak with Neill his knowledge on, not only science, but philosophy, too, is extraordinary. He can talk to you until the cows come home about consciousness – what is consciousness?
“That is something that is really explored in this film. The film operates on whatever level you like. There’s some unbelievable action, and the special effects are, as usual with Neill, extraordinary. It feels so realistic.
“How he does it, I have no idea. I’ve never worked with anyone like that, but then I’ve never worked with a director who came out of a visual effects department, and that’s where he began.”
Born and raised in Sydney, Jackman studied at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth. Immediately on leaving college he landed a role in the popular TV series, Correlli.
After more TV work, theatre and films in his native Australia, Jackman was cast as Logan/Wolverine in X-Men for director Bryan Singer, starring alongside Sir Ian McKellan, Halle Berry and Patrick Stewart.
His extraordinarily powerful performance launched his Hollywood career and he went on to star in numerous films including Swordfish, X-Men 2, The Prestige, The Fountain, X-Men: The Last Stand, Australia, Real Steel, The Wolverine, Prisoners and X-Men: Days of Future Past.
He won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for his brilliant performance as Jean Valjean in Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables. Earlier this year, he earned rave reviews for his performance in Jez Butterworth’s The River at the Circle in the Square, New York. – Columbia Pictures