In the lead-up to Marvel’s anticipated release of Deadpool & Wolverine, Hugh Jackman gives insight into what makes his Wolverine fight scenes so special. Though Jackman’s initial casting as Wolverine in X-Men (2000) was divisive due to the Australian actor’s tall, slim physique contrasting with the character’s usual short, stocky, gruff appearance, he quickly removed doubts by embodying the ferocity and intensity the mutant is known for. 24 Years later, Jackman doesn’t seem to have lost any on-screen presence if the trailers for Deadpool & Wolverine are anything to go by.

As part of the promo tour for the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, Jackman and Reynolds interviewed each other for 20 minutes for People (via YouTube). In the conversation, Reynolds mentioned how impressed he was with the intensity, physicality, and precision Jackman brings to fight scenes. Jackman explained how his history on the stage and in dance has made him a better stuntperson and superhero actor. Read the relevant excerpt below, followed by a video clip:

Ryan Reynolds: It was the first time I’d ever seen how invaluable – and I hope any young actors are listening to this – how invaluable a background in song and dance is when you are doing an action movie. You hit your marks in those fight scenes with speed and confidence the likes of which I have never seen. I don’t care if you were 25, 35, 45. I could not believe what I saw.

Hugh Jackman: Brian Smrz…was the first person to tell me; he said, “Every time I hire a stuntman or someone who’s coming up, I say, ‘Do dance class.’ … There’s a mixture of relaxation with the strength that you need.” It’s basically choreography. And so to take a punch, it’s more about the relaxation than the grunt of it. And it’s true.

Deadpool & Wolverine Might Have The Best Wolverine Fight Scenes Yet

Superhero movies have been able to get away with pretty incredible violence while usually sticking with a PG-13 rating, usually due to cartoonish violence being more generally acceptable at lower ratings. However, that’s less easy to pull off when one’s power set includes a retractable set of blades. As such, Wolverine’s trademark berserker barrages have been generally toned down across Fox’s X-Men franchise.

The one exception is Logan, which uses its R-rating to deliver brutal violence to and from its titular hero. However, Logan is very much a different kind of movie. While it’s possibly the best portrayal of Wolverine to date, it doesn’t scratch the “over-the-top comic book violence” itch some audiences want to see from the adamantium-clawed hero. With Deadpool & Wolverine also being rated R and set to be a much less serious project than Logan, the fight scenes are likely to be wonderfully brutal and flamboyantly choreographed.

There’s also a matter of power sets. Usually, Wolverine stabbing someone or Deadpool pulling off a perfect gunshot means the end of the fight. However, both the titular heroes in Deadpool & Wolverine have incredible healing factors that let them continuously heal from even the most grievous wounds mid-fight. As such, and as the trailers indicate, it’s sure to be unsurprisingly violent and long-lasting when the title heroes of Deadpool & Wolverine come to blows.