Hugh Jackman says Wolverine’s growling and yelling damaged his voice

Hugh Jackman has revealed that the growling and yelling he did while playing Wolverine has permanently damaged his voice.

Jackman played the superhero for nearly two decades at the start of the 21st century, making him a one-time Guinness World Record holder for longest career as a live-action Marvel character.

Speaking to the BBC’s Front Row, Jackman detailed how the demands of the role had permanently affected his voice.

“My falsetto is not as strong as it used to be and that I directly put down to some of the growling and yelling,” he said. “My voice teacher in drama school would’ve been horrified by some of the things I did [in Wolverine].”

Jackman added: “We learned the technique [in school] of how to shout and how to yell without ruining your voice. However, during Wolverine, I did some screaming and yelling and things that I think did damage my voice, which I think I’m working on.

“I work with a singing teacher, and I make sure that I try not to hurt myself. And I really put a lot of effort into both physical movement, and my vocal preparation for every role.”

Jackman will return as Wolverine in Deadpool 3 next year, and recently revealed that he needed one specific guarantee to get him to play the role, namely that it wouldn’t ruin the end of Logan.

Jackman had previously said that there was no chance of him returning to the role, however, he will now star in Deadpool’s first MCU movie. But, to make that happen, The Greatest Showman star said he needed to make sure that nothing could “screw with the Logan timeline” before saying yes to Deadpool producer and friend Ryan Reynolds.

“It’s all because of this device they have in the Marvel world of moving around timelines,” Jackman explained to Jess Cagle and Julia Cunningham on their SiriusXM radio show [as per Variety]. “Now we can go back because, you know, it’s science. So, I don’t have to screw with the ‘Logan’ timeline, which was important to me. And I think probably to the fans too.”

Last year, Jackman revealed that he was initially offered the role of James Bond in 2006’s Casino Royale, but turned down the part due to the demands of playing Wolverine.