Hugh Jackman Covers Entertainment

Hugh Jackman looks ready to slice and dice up the summer move competition on the latest cover of Entertainment The 40-year-old Aussie hunk has been on the road promoting X-Men Origins: Wolverine, out May 1. To prepare for the film, Hugh spent months following a hardcore bulk-building regimen. “I wanted to look like [Robert] De Niro did when he took off his shirt in Cape Fear and everyone went, ‘Whoa.’ You realized the guy was a freak,” recalls Hugh. “There were moments when I would wake up completely sore and say to my wife, ‘I have a feeling this is like childbirth.’”

Jacked-up Jackman also admits he applies a “What, me worry?” philosophy to everything he does. For instance, he knew he might risk his action-hero career by taking the leading role in The Boy From Oz on Broadway, as gay Aussie song-and-dance man Peter Allen. “I’ll never forget kissing a guy on stage and someone from the crowd shouting, ‘Don’t do it, Wolverine!,’” recalls Hugh. “I don’t waste time or energy with it. I think there’s far too much importance placed on people’s Hots anyway. I love Hot; it’s great, but it’s not the measure of love or a relationship. And whether you like girls or boys, whether you like the light on or off: Who cares? I always find Hots one of the least interesting things about a person.”