Hugh Jackman is back this weekend in the new super thriller Deception, co-starring alongside the adorable and talented Michelle Williams and Ewan McGregor. Jackman is certainly a household name these days; it’s interesting to think that landing the role of Wolverine in the X-Men franchise was probably his first major on-screen break in the United States. Of course, this statement doesn’t shed light upon the wide variety of shining credits his resume sparkles with. The man is talented and in more than a few ways. I’m pretty curious about his upcoming flick and have high hopes considering the heavy weights in the lineup.

Hugh Jackman surely is my guy and here are five reasons why:

1. He’s Australian.
Who doesn’t love an Aussie? He’s got that great accent and, truly, Australia is where his career began. Jackman was born in the Sydney-area in 1968. Oops! Was that too much information? Anyhow, early on his career was peppered with stage jobs and independent film roles, which quickly led to the honor of being named Australian Star of the Year at the Australian Movie Convention in 1999. The man’s been taking names for years.

2. He also has a stage career.
Mr. Jackman is also a star stage performer. I don’t mean to discount on-screen actors, but I am a firm believer that to perform a single role over and over for new audiences, for weeks on end, and live at that, takes stamina and true talent. Not to mention, he has performed in musicals, which means he’s a singer too! On stage, Jackman played Gaston in the Melbourne production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and he first became known outside of Australia as an actor when he played the leading role in the Royal National Theatre’s acclaimed production of Oklahoma!. In 2004, he received a Tony for Best Actor in a Musical for his role in The Boy from Oz. (The Tony is only one of the many awards he won for this role!) It’s refreshing to see someone earn it, and be good at it too. Bravo!

3. He’s an entrepreneur.
Jackman started his own film production company (associated with 20th Century Fox), Seeds Productions, with his wife Deborra-Lee Furness, and producer/business partner John Palermo. I appreciate a well-rounded person and while I don’t know the guy, this endeavor speaks well of his character. He isn’t in the business for the glory, this is his passion. The first principal film the company planned to release was X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but due to some delays, it has been pushed back to 2009. In the interim, the company has released a couple smaller projects and is now moving forward with the X-Men movie. Good things are coming our way.

4. This picture.
I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist.

5. He adopted.
Maybe this is a bit too serious of a category for entertainment reading purposes, but I think it’s pretty commendable. Granted, I’m not sure of the specifics behind his and his wife's reasons for adopting, but what a wonderful choice. An older article from USAWeekend.com reports Jackman as saying, "We've always known there's a need for mixed-race adoption. What's the point of queuing up for a blond, blue-eyed kid? Adoption, in the best sense of the word, means that regardless of physical or background traits, you're willing to take on that child and assimilate him into your family and community."

Editor's Note: Thanks Hugh. Lacking blond hair and blue eyes our own selves we dig your style.

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