Hugh Jackman’s relatively obscure status as an actor made him immune to the fan backlash after Wolverine casting.

Before Tim Burton’s Batman legitimized the big-screen superhero experience, the reception to Michael Keaton’s casting was less than thrilling, as initially, fans didn’t see him fit for the part. Nothing much has changed since, as not only do fans expect actors to capture the spirit of their comic book counterparts, but also resemble them physically.

Fortunately, Hugh Jackman was immune to this backlash after being initially cast in Bryan Singer’s X-Men, and he has his obscurity as an actor at the time to thank for it.

Hugh Jackman’s Obscurity Ensured He Was Immune To Fan Backlash

Hugh Jackman in X-Men. (2000) | 20th Century Studios.

In comics, Wolverine stands at 5.5 ft, which is a far cry from Hugh Jackman‘s 6.2 ft stature. But considering he had just made his big-screen debut just a year prior with Erskineville Kings, not many bore much knowledge about the Aussie bloke, who was recommended for the role by Russell Crowe.

Hugh Jackman | X-Men: The Last Stand (via 20th Century Fox)

The Deadpool 3 star’s obscurity at the time ensured he wasn’t public enemy no. 1 in the eyes of Marvel fans, following the huge departure from comic Wolverine in regards to his height. He said:

I certainly think Wolverine was a risk for me when I first got it. Thankfully, nobody really knew who I was. I mean in the comic book, he was five foot five and not really the kind of personality that I am. So no one really knew that so I got to thankfully just go in and audition.

Moreover, Jackman’s performance in the role ensured fans didn’t take the height difference into account, as the actor perfectly captured the spirit of his comic book counterpart.

The X-Men Crew Went to Great Lengths To Ensure Wolverine Was Comic Accurate

X-Men (2000) | 20th Century Fox

When the production initially began, the creators went to great lengths to make Jackman’s Wolverine more in line with the source material. The Logan star recalled that he wasn’t allowed to wear shoes on set, and apart from kids, everyone had to be taller than him onscreen, which led to Jackman “literally crouching”, while the others “were on planks and boxes all around me”.

He told CNN: I never had my shoes on. … The rule was, unless they were a kid, they had to be taller than me. I was literally crouching like that, shoes off, people were on planks and boxes all around me.

But despite giving it all to stay true to the comics, after a point, the actor recalled they just gave up.

So they went to a great effort, and I think after a while they just gave up on that.

In the end, the major height difference did little to hinder fans’ experience, and it’s now hard to imagine anyone else in the part opposed to Jackman, who has made around $100M from this stint so far.

X-Men is available to stream on Disney Plus.