00:00Hugh Jackman reflects on his most mortifying moment as a performer.
00:05Hugh Jackman's career is often associated with prestige versus
00:10sensibility and global stardom, but even he admits not every moment has
00:15been graceful.
00:16The actor recently revisited what he considers the most embarrassing
00:20incident of his professional life, an experience he now recalls with a mix of
00:24huge
00:25humor, and humility.
00:27I pissed my pants on stage.
00:29Jackman at
00:30He admitted, explaining that the mishap happened in 1995 while he was
00:34performing as a
00:35Gaston in an Australian stage production of Beauty and the Beast.
00:40At the time, Jackman was still early in his career and learning to sing
00:44professionally.
00:45For the first time, the incident stemmed from well intended medical advice.
00:50gone wrong.
00:52The doctor told me I was dehydrated so following directions
00:55I drank so much water that by the time I was doing this number in red tights.
01:00As Gaston in Beauty and the Beast, I basically had a choice of pissing my pants or not.
01:05singing, he explained.
01:06Faced with a live audience, Jackman chose
01:10to continue the performance.
01:12Despite the humiliation, Jackman credits
01:15that period with shaping his artistic foundation.
01:18His contract required
01:20weekly vocal lessons, which ultimately ignited his passion for singing and music.
01:25musical theatre.
01:26I came to singing late.
01:28He previously told
01:30playbill.
01:31noting that he was essentially learning in real time during those early
01:35shows.
01:36Even today, Jackman remains critical of his own vocal performance.
01:40I find it really difficult to listen to myself sing.
01:45I'll be listening to the Broadway channel sometimes, and they'll announce me, and I immediately
01:50turn it off, he admitted.
01:52Still, he describes live performance at its best
01:55as deeply liberating, saying,
01:57When it's all flowing, it's as free and as a
02:00exhilarating as anything I've ever experienced in my life.
02:03In
02:042026,
02:05Jackman continues to balance blockbuster films with musical projects.
02:09He is currently
02:10headlining a monthly residency at Radio City Music Hall titled, From New
02:15York with Love, and will soon appear in The Death of Robin Hood, Three Bags Full
02:20A Sheep Detective Movie, and the musical biopic, Song Sung Blue.
02:25Underscoring his enduring range and work ethic.
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