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X-Men Origins: Wolverine in our magazines

THE MOVIE: X-Men Origins: Wolverine

THE STARS:
Liev Schreiber • Hugh Jackman • Ryan Reynolds • Will.I.Am • Taylor Kitsch • Lynn Collins
DIRECTOR: Gavin Hood

Liev Schreiber
is widely considered one of the finest actors of his generation, starring in such eclectic dramas as Defiance, The Manchurian Candidate, Love in the Time of Cholera and The Painted Veil. In X-Men Origins: Wolverine, he portrays Wolverine’s brother, Victor Creed, aka Sabretooth, a feral being of unimaginable power, whose brutal bloodlust will lead him to the dark side.

U.S. RELEASE: May 1 2009, Nationwide • Rated: PG-13

THE COMMENTS:

This isn’t the type of movie you usually do, how did you prepare for it? :
Something like 12 years ago, Hugh [ Jackman] and I did a film together [Kate and Leopold] and, believe it or not, I think I actually was bigger than Hugh in those days. Things have changed over the years, and he’s grown substantially, as an actor and as a human being, in general. So, the first agenda was getting bigger. I made the awful mistake of going online to see what the fans thought and, of course, they said, “You need to get bigger.” So, I started working out with Hugh and doing the high-protein diet. Between the two of us, I think we wiped out a whole gene pool of chickens. I know people think that it’s a departure for me, but I don’t really. I feel right at home, with that sibling rivalry thing with Hugh. It was a lot of fun.

Playing such an intense character, how did you de-stress at the end of the day?:
I’ve never been someone who takes characters home with me. At night, the claws and the teeth came off. Unfortunately, the sideburns didn’t. But, I’ve never really had a problem with that. Also, particularly in my case, I was playing anger, which is a relatively easy emotion to access. I know you’re all thinking, “Oh, he’s an angry guy!” No. It’s easy for everyone.

What was your most memorable moment on the movie?:
Early on in the film, we had the first big fight sequence for Hugh and I, which was outside of the bar. Hugh and I had rehearsed day and night for that. I’ll admit and be candid that I wasn’t sure that, physically, I was up to this role. Now, I know I am, but initially, I was a little concerned.
I’m sorry to say this in public, but Hugh and I, being the elder statesmen of this cast, were both rightfully concerned that we wouldn’t be able to pull off the fight that the stunt guys had shown us. And I remember the third night, after shooting until six in the morning, looking over at Hugh and the two of us were just so smashed up by the fight, and desperate to impress our small sons at home. They said, “Would you guys like to do one more?”
I remember looking across at Hugh, praying to myself that he would say, “I’m tired. I want to go home and go to bed.” And, Hugh said, “No, I feel great!” And I looked across at him and said, “Yeah, I feel great, too.” They looked at Hugh and said, “One more?,” and Hugh said, “I could do two more!,” so I said, “Yeah, I could probably do three or four more!” And that was my sole motivation for the rest of this entire film.

Written by Judy Sloane. Back to top

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Images above © Twentieth Century Fox
Feature © 2009 Visual Imagination Limited.
Not for reproduction.

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