If nothing else it shows that there are plenty of people out there who care about him.
Hugh Jackman is one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men. Part of his allure – apart from the fact that he comes across as a really nice chap – is that he is a throwback to Tinseltown’s more glamorous age. He acts and looks like a alpha-male, and can play debonair charmers and muscular action heroes with equal aplomb.
However, one of the symptoms of being the very embodiment of big screen masculinity for many is that any physical deviation from the archetype can cause people to be thrown into a mild tizzy. If he puts on excess weight, that’s headline news; if he loses any of his bulk, people automatically assume that he must be ill.
That seems to be the case with the current speculation – and heartfelt concern – over his well-being, after the Australian posted an image of himself on Instagram looking like anything but the standard Hugh Jackman People magazine stereotype.
The image above is accompanied by the description, ‘Now that’s what I’m talking about!’, presumably referring to the delicious looking grilled fish in the foreground of the picture. Although many are far more concerned with Jackman’s appearance than that of the Catch of the Day.
“I’m worried about you,” expresses one follower while another adds “Wow, are you okay? You look a little frail.” And that’s far from the end of it…
https://twitter.com/bojindie/status/764831212774887424
https://twitter.com/icxrx/status/763945382040604674
Is it just me or does Hugh Jackman look ill?
— SimonBakerFP (Bine) (@SimonBakerFP) August 10, 2016
Hard to believe this is Hugh Jackman. He looks properly ill. pic.twitter.com/obX1isL24t
— Liam Price (@Liam_Price1) August 10, 2016
Such is the reaction to the innocuous (from Jackman’s point of view) image, that fans and showbiz media alike have started to speculate on his health in quite a macabre way. There have even been some thoroughly unpleasant suggestions that the actor may have cancer or some other serious affliction.
The thing is, Jackman is an actor, and actors change their appearance all the fucking time. In his latest (and reportedly final) appearance as Wolverine in the presently untitled third movie as the scrap-happy mutant, he plays a much older version of the character – more akin to the ‘Old Man Logan’ incarnation in Marvel comics.
So the new ‘gaunt, ill’ look? That’s almost definitely makeup and weight-loss to more closely resemble a centuries-old character. Thankfully, Hugh Jackman looks just fine…
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