Russell Crowe Was The First Choice For Wolverine

It's difficult to picture Wolverine as anyone other than Hugh Jackman after all these years. But Jackman only won the part because Russell Crowe, who was really the original candidate for the part.

Russell Crowe, the actor in front of Jackman in line, declined the role. According to rumors, Crowe declined the role because he didn't want to be stereotyped as "Mr. Wolf" because his Gladiator character had multiple wolf symbolism. Although Crowe may have given the role a similar roughness, it's difficult to imagine him offering precisely the same animalism as Jackman. Typically more quiet, Crowe's dramatic performances, like in Gladiator, conveyed a lot by using subtly emotional acting. Instead, Crowe offered that Hugh Jackman, an up-and-coming Australian actor, replace him. Dougray Scott was chosen to play Wolverine against the advice, but he was compelled to withdraw owing to last-minute scheduling issues with his part in Mission: Impossible 2. When Jackman was finally awarded the part, the rest is history. Few actors could have embodied the wild beast as Hugh Jackman did during his training for the role of Wolverine and performance. Wolverine required an actor who could.