Les Misérables’ Hugh Jackman in tears about mom

MANILA, Philippines – Hugh Jackman, best known for playing the tough Wolverine in the X-Men movies, shed tears as he remembered his mother, Grace, in an interview with 60 Minutes aired December 9 in the US, according to US Weekly.

Grace left the family when Jackman, now 44, was just 8 years old. She moved from Australia to England.

“I can remember the morning she left, it’s weird the things you pick up,” said a teary Jackman to 60 Minutes. “I remember her being in a towel around her head and saying goodbye, must have been the way she said goodbye.

“As I went off to school, when I came back, there was no one there in the house. The next day there was a telegram from England, Mom was there. And then that was it.”

Chris, his father, became a single parent to Jackman and his 4 other children. Jackman was the youngest.

“Dad used to pray every night that Mom would come back,” recalled Jackman. “My father is a rock. My father is my rock.”

Today, Jackman is happily married to Deborra-Lee Furness, 57. They have two children whom they adopted after Furness suffered two miscarriages: Oscar Maximillian, 12, and Ava Eliot, 7.

Furness said her husband has never been away from the family for more than two weeks at a time, making sure to balance career with family.

“It’s always about the family. It’s not about work,” said the Les Miz star. 

Looking back at that lonely part of his childhood, Jackman said, “It’s where I learned everything about loyalty, dependability, being there day in, day out, no matter what.” 

Following the Les Misérables red carpet premier in New York on December 10 (and in London last December 5), Jackman together with Russell Crowe (who plays Javert), hit Joe’s Pub in New York and performed “The Confrontation” to an amused audience:

According to the Les Misérables website, the movie will be shown in the Philippines on January 16, 2013. – Rappler.com

(Jackman’s interview in 60 Minutes will air on December 12, 8 pm at the Solar News Channel)