Which Hollywood Actor Passed On Wolverine Role To Hugh Jackman? (Photo Credit – Facebook)
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Picture this: Russell Crowe as Wolverine. Wild, right? It almost happened. Crowe was the first pick to play the clawed mutant in X-Men, but he passed—and in a legendary twist, he pointed director Bryan Singer toward a then-unknown Hugh Jackman. The rest, as they say, is history.
Jackman spilled the tea during a chat with Howard Stern, revealing Crowe recommended him for the role. “He called Bryan and said, ‘I don’t want to do it, but you should look at this guy,’” Jackman shared. One call and Logan found his claws. Imagine being so cool that you casually hand over an iconic role to someone else—and that someone dominates it for 20+ years.
So, why did Crowe pass? It wasn’t because he couldn’t pull it off (this is Maximus we’re talking about). He turned it down because of wolves. Fresh off his Oscar-winning Gladiator run, Crowe felt like the wolf motifs in that movie—on his armor, his companion—made Wolverine feel a bit too on the nose. “I didn’t want to be ‘wolfy,’” he explained later. Funny enough, most of the wolf stuff in Gladiator got scrapped anyway.
But here’s the kicker—this wasn’t the only time Russell Crowe set Hugh Jackman up for success. The X-Men actor later revealed Crowe also passed on Australia, suggesting him again for the lead. “Two of the biggest roles I’ve ever had, I owe to him,” Jackman said. Crowe may not have wanted the spotlight, but he knew how to pass the torch.
And while Wolverine wasn’t Crowe’s vibe, he still got his superhero moment. In Man of Steel, he played Jor-El, Superman’s dad, and brought some serious gravitas to Krypton’s fiery downfall. Off-screen, he even mentored Henry Cavill, gifting him signed Gladiator photos with iconic lines—because being a Hollywood legend wasn’t enough.
Sure, the idea of Crowe rocking Wolverine’s Adamantium claws is a fun “what if,” but let’s be honest: Hugh Jackman owned that role. And with him returning as Logan in Deadpool 3, it’s hard not to give Crowe a shoutout. Thanks for passing, Russell Crowe—Wolverine was right where he needed to be.
