Is Hugh Jackman a Christian?

Hugh Jackman is a popular Hollywood star by anyone’s standards. He is probably best known for his super hero roles in the X-Men series and Wolverine. He also played Jean Valjean in the Hollywood remake of the classic Les Misérables. In an interview with Parade, Jackman came out about his faith stating bluntly: “I am…

Dean Smith

November 1, 2015

3–4 minutes

Celebrity News, Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman speaking at the San Diego Comic Con International in 2013. Photo: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

Hugh Jackman is a popular Hollywood star by anyone’s standards. He is probably best known for his super hero roles in the X-Men series and Wolverine. He also played Jean Valjean in the Hollywood remake of the classic Les Misérables.

In an interview with Parade, Jackman came out about his faith stating bluntly:

“I am a Christian.”

Though I admit Christian can be loosely interpreted, in the interview Jackman spoke about his involvement with Evangelical Christianity when he was younger. He was raised by his Christian father after his mother abandoned the family when Hugh was eight.

Jackman stated:

“I used to go to different evangelists’ [revival] tents all the time. When I was about 13, I had a weird premonition that I was going to be onstage, like the preachers I saw.”

I found it interesting that he referred to a premonition about being on stage. In an earlier post, I wrote about a prophetic word given Hollywood star Chris Pratt by a Christian evangelist who shared his faith with Pratt because God said he was “destined for great things.” Four weeks later, a Hollywood producer discovered Pratt as he was serving tables at a restaurant in Hawaii.

With those Christian roots, Jackman is scheduled to play the Apostle Paul in an upcoming movie being developed about Christianity’s great missionary.

In the interview, Jackman also refers to a comment made by Eric Liddell in the movie Chariots of Fire.

Jackman said:

“This is going to sound weird to you, in Chariots of Fire the runner Eric Liddell says, ‘When I run, I feel His pleasure.” And I feel that pleasure when I act and it’s going well, particularly onstage.”

The movie Chariots of Fire (nominated in 1981 for seven Academy awards) is the true story about Eric Liddell, a deeply committed Scottish Christian. He believed God called him to run and many favored him to win the 100 meter dash in the 1924 Olympics. However, Liddell refused to race in the preliminary heats being held on a Sunday, disqualifying him from the final event. He did win gold in the 400 meter.

Liddell went on to become a missionary in China and died in 1945 while imprisoned in a Japanese concentration camp during World War II.

In the interview, Jackman added that he dedicates every performance to God and believes God has called him to act.

In the past, Jackman has admitted to being out of sync with Evangelical Christianity. He has been wishy washy about his religious beliefs even suggesting there is more than one set of scriptures.

Nevertheless, with the growing anti-Christian sentiment in the world today, I tend not to downplay anyone who says publicly they are a Christian and Charisma News wondered with these recent statements if God is moving on Jackman.

Perhaps equally amazing is that he is still with his wife, who he met 20 years earlier on the set of Correlli, an Australian series. It was his major first role and Jackman developed a crush on the lead actress — Deborra-Lee Furness.

He decided the best way to deal with these embarrassing feelings was to ignore her. After about a week of silence, Deb asked her co-star if she had done anything to offend him.

Jackman answered:

“’Look, I’ve got a crush on you. I’m sorry.’ And she said, ‘Oh, I’ve got a crush on you too.’ And that was 20 years ago [laughs].”

Read more:

Did Actor Hugh Jackman just have a Saul of Tarsus Moment? Charisma News
The Hugh you never knew: From Lost Boy to Blackbeard: Parade Magazine

2 responses to “Is Hugh Jackman a Christian?”

tresa4love

November 21, 2015 at 6:42 pm

Interesting article. Generally, I like what you said. Just a correction for you. Les Miserables was actually not a Hollywood movie (it was produced by a British production company) and it was not a remake. Rather, it was the first movie musical to be made, and it was distinct from other musicals because it was the first movie musical in which all of the music was sung live while acting rather than being recorded in a studio. I know I am being a little nitpick by pointing this out, but thought I would mention it anyway since it is one of my favorite movies.

Also, I did want to say a little bit about Hugh. From everything I’ve seen, he has always believed in God and has always been spiritual. This is the first time I have seen him call himself a Christian, so I would gather his beliefs may have evolved over time. He seems closer to his devout Christian father than ever, so perhaps that has something to do with it, although I really don’t know. But Hugh has always seemed like a truth seeker to me, and I see nothing wrong with him believing there is more than one Scripture. Have you read the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads (which seem to be the main texts that Hugh Jackman includes as Scriptures coupled with the Bible)? And I don’t mean just read them, but actually learn them and grow to understand them and what Hinduism really teaches, rather than what people who don’t understand Hinduism say it teaches? I think every Christian should read those texts. They helped me understand my own Christian faith better. They truly are inspired and 100% compatible with Christianity.

Also, I would be careful when talking about someone’s faith. Is it really fair to say Hugh was wishy-washy with his religious beliefs just because he had a different opinion from you? One thing I can say is, it seems he never actually rejected Christianity in the past. In 2013, he was asked if he is Hindu, and he said he draws from Hinduism, Christianity, and Buddhism. In 2010, he said he has no problems with anything he interprets from the Christian faith, but that he is just broader in his views in that it seemed he considered himself Christian-plus, if that makes any sense. In other words, he didn’t think any of the major religions were wrong. He felt there is an underlying truth, and it seemed he essentially believed in all of them to a degree. But setting that aside, what I’ve seen consistently from Hugh is what seems to be strong commitment to moral values taught by his father, commitment to opening his heart to God, commitment to his family, commitment to his job (which according to people who work with him, he approaches with more discipline and enjoyment than other actors), and commitment to humanitarian work and helping others. He is also a seemingly humble and honest man, and he mentioned two years ago that his spiritual journey is most important and it’s what drives him.

So there ya go! 🙂 I am happy to have him as an ally of the Christian faith. He’s a good man, and a good example of a human being, in my honest opinion.

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1. Dean Smith
  
  November 22, 2015 at 12:18 pm
  
  Thank you for your comment, I found it informative as you provided information about Hugh I wasn’t aware of. But I still think Hugh was wishy washy on his Christian faith. The Bible is very clear that Jesus is the only way to God. Others may not agree with that and certainly that is their prerogative, but Bible is unyielding on that point. So it is based on that I implied he was wishy washy on his Biblical faith.
  
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