Q&AAn Interview With Hugh Jackman—Actor And Montblanc Brand Ambassador

Did you know much about Gary Hart during the political upheaval in the States in 1987?

I was on a gap year in Europe, living on £10 a day, probably drunk most of the time if I could afford it. So I don’t remember much about it. I do remember Monkey Business (a yacht in southern Florida, best known for its role in derailing Gary Hart’s presidential campaign) and Donna Rice, the woman he was having the affair with. Even today, not too many people remember or have heard about it; even students of political science. It’s seemingly a very small part of political history. I think that is what attracted me to the project. It has quite a lot to say about how we’ve got to where we are today. Obviously, I did meet Hart and spoke to a lot of people who had worked on his campaign and the one thing that everybody says about him is that he is smart, one of the best politicians in the last 50 years and unbelievably enigmatic, which is very intriguing for an actor playing him.

Celebrities and politicians are always hounded by the press. How do you deal with this?

Actors and politicians are always under the microscope. I’m sure that there are some actors who find it suffocating and I understand. But I don’t. I just get nervous for my family. I’m fully aware I was 30 when I did X-Men, so my real profile didn’t come about till I was 30, and hopefully when you are 30, you have learnt who you are, what you stand for, what’s important to you. I went in with my eyes wide open. But my kids are born into this; they had no choice. So I try to protect them and that is where some of the difficulty has occurred.

But today there’s Instagram and Twitter also. How is it being under that kind of microscope?

Don’t read all the comments on Instagram—that’s the key. I’m too thin-skinned, I’m being facetious. It’s different for every actor. There’s a choice involved. Take for example, Frances McDormand. She won the best actress award at the Oscars this year. She will do very little, if anything, to promote a film and she is very honest with the filmmakers: “Listen I’d love to do your film, but I won’t do a lot of press.” I try and preserve my private life. Now, for me, I’ve always loved the Socrates quote, I say it to my kids, because they are on social media all the time and I’m sure they think what they are saying is private, and I tell to them remember what Socrates said: “Never say privately what you wouldn’t say publicly.” If you can sleep well at night with how you live, the choices you make, the things you say, the thoughts you think, then you don’t have to worry too much. So that’s my approach to it.

You have a long association with Montblanc watches and pens. Could you talk about that a little?

I have been with Montblanc for about four or five years. I’ve loved it. I finally have some status with my French aunt who now thinks that I am doing some work that matters. “Finally something classy!” she said to me, and yeah, the watches are very beautiful. I love the craftsmanship, I love the commitment to really bringing back the art of watchmaking. They are not the only ones, but they do it very, very well. Everything you wear is a choice ultimately. It’s whatever it means to you.

How many watches do you have, and do you have a prized possession?

Honestly, it’s probably about nine watches. I am not a very materialistic person to be honest, and as far as a prized possessions go, I have two journals. They were the greatest gift that my wife ever gave me, when both of our children were born. Both their names are on it. I’ve been writing in these journals for both of them and I’ll give them to the kids when they are 21, You know, just things I’ve thought of through the years—the attitudes—and I’ve written to them as if they were 21 years of age. I was flying somewhere recently and my bag wouldn’t come out. It eventually did, but as I waited a long time, I was like, ‘Whatever,’ and then suddenly it dawned on me that the two journals were in there and I went into a cold sweat.

What does time mean to you? Do you see it differently than you did before?

Time is precious. I’m turning 50 in a month and a lot of people are talking to me about time, and don’t worry I’m not having a midlife crisis that I know of yet, but of course it is precious, you know, and I watch my kids grow up very quickly. My son recently turned 18, which he reminds me of every time I ask him to do something. “I’m an adult now; I do what I want,” he says. But life is a beautiful, magical thing and the only thing that we can really control is our attitude to it. Different events happen to all of us, good, bad and indifferent and time is no different. I see time like money. I see it as energy, you can choose to spend it any way you like. That’s my attitude towards time.

What does luxury mean to you? What is your idea of indulgence, and how do you relax and unwind?

Okay, freedom to me is the greatest luxury. Freedom to do what you would like to do. Freedom for some people in this world is even feeling free to drink water out of a tap. There are all kinds of freedom, and it’s the greatest luxury. And as far as materialistic things go, I would say a pair of handmade shoes is luxurious and I have two pairs. As far as unwinding is concerned, the number one thing for me is meditation, I’ve done it for 25 years, in fact it is the most powerful tool I’ve ever been given in terms of just unwinding, feeling centred, calm and happy.