Hugh Jackman takes his morning routine seriously. The actor, who has maintained the stamina for decades to play Wolverine and perform eight shows a week on Broadway, is an early riser, a devoted meditator, and apparently not very good at singing during practice.
It’s an apt premise for his latest campaign with daily supplement brand AG1, which named Jackman as its global ambassador earlier this year. The actor reveals his musical theater skills in a new spot, singing while exercising and explaining the benefits of his daily greens. The partnership is more than just a celebrity endorsement: Jackman has been using AG1 for more than five years after being recommended by his doctor, and has been a strategic investor in the company since 2021.
“I was offered a lot of things, and I thought it had to be something that made sense to me, that I really believed in, and that I really used,” he says.
Jackman speaks below Diversity about his daily wellness rituals, his 30-year meditation practice, his upcoming role in Ridley Scott’s “Treasure Island” and, yes, Wolverine’s future in the MCU.
What does your morning routine look like and what’s the first thing that tends to fall apart when you’re in the middle of shooting a movie?
If I get up too early, I won’t meditate right away when I get up. But I’ve been meditating for 30 years. Sometimes I’ll wait, I’ll do it at lunch, but I’ve sort of learned my lesson. Regardless of the call time for the shoot, I still wake up a little earlier and get everything done.
Better. So there is not much difference between waking up at 4 am and waking up at 6 am. After all, it’s the same thing.
So, are you one of those people who can survive on little sleep?
I still like seven, eight hours. Sometimes more if possible. But I wasn’t a morning person until I opened a gym where I opened at six in the morning, slept in twice, and was basically told, “You don’t want to be late for people who come to workout at six in the morning.” No matter how good you are, they won’t give you many tries. Then I would set three alarms and that kind of changed. I truly became a morning person from that moment on.
How does your location affect your routine and lifestyle?
One of my favorite things is, if I’m in Australia – I live right on the beach – I always get up before sunrise because I can be on the water when the sun comes up. And I think: ‘Why isn’t everyone on the planet doing this?’ You’ll never feel better.
I walk a lot more in New York than anywhere else. Even though it’s probably the busiest city, I walk or bike everywhere. But I like to be active in the morning.
You’ve been working with AG1 for a long time and it’s clear you love it. Once you started taking it, what did you actually realize that made you stick with it for so long?
That I didn’t get sick. For me, feeling cold is a little harder, especially when I’m singing, giving concerts or on stage.
When you have a cold, you go to the office, or even if you’re playing a game, you’re like, “Oh, sniffle.” But when you sing, it’s really important. My doctor just said, “Dude, you’re a busy man. It’s hard to get everything you need. With a busy lifestyle it’s nearly impossible to get everything you need through diet alone. Take this and you’ll be basically protected, like your gut health.” And so I noticed that I woke up a little faster, did not get sick and felt better.
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In the campaign video, you start singing during your workout. I know musicians sometimes run on the treadmill while singing their sets to rehearse. Have you ever done this?
Definitely. Any song and dance number, especially if you’re going to be tap dancing or dancing or something like that. I realized this was the fittest I’ll ever be because singing – it’s one thing to run fast, it’s one thing to be out of breath and your heart rate going up to 170, but being able to hold your breath, if you think about it, means you’re singing a long sentence. You don’t want to take a breath every three seconds while singing. So you need to stay calm and still have lung capacity as your heart rate goes up to 160. And every time I finish a show and go for a run, I can run forever. That’s why you should practice singing while running, jumping rope, or doing anything else.
I felt like the first person I saw doing this routine was Taylor Swift, and then I realized it’s a totally normal routine for singers.
I remember the first person I ever heard of doing this was Mick Jagger in my youth. He went on that world tour and said, “I have to run 10, 15 miles a day to do what I do.” Staying fit while traveling is key to sleep. I think sleep is the number one factor for me.
You said you’d play Wolverine until you’re in your 90s, so…
To be clear, Ryan Reynolds said this.
Meditation is another one of your non-negotiable topics. How did you start meditating?
I first learned about meditation through the School of Practical Philosophy, which was introduced to me by a friend while I was acting. You know, when you’re around people and you feel like there’s something about them, you can’t realize it? I literally told him this. “There’s something about you, man,” I said. His name was Warwick. And I said, “Warwick, there’s something about you. I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I want it, whatever it is.” And he said: “Oh, I started meditating.” “What? What is this?” And he said: “This is transcendental meditation” and that changed everything. And so it happened.
I was 22, 23, and that really changed everything. This gives me a place to come home to myself twice a day, no matter what. So the surface of the water that is our life – for you and me right now the surface is quite calm – but no matter what happens on the surface, if you sink to the bottom of the ocean, it is always calm and peaceful. And that’s what meditation represents to me. So it’s like a twice-daily reminder of what’s beneath the surface.A
You’re ready to star in Ridley Scott’s “Treasure Island.” How did Ridley sell you this character that people already knew so well?
Actually, this was the scenario. I know Ridley and Ridley say, “Dude.” He sent me the script and I read it. I’ve never read the book or watched the movie. I knew various things about this. I didn’t actually know how basic this was; treasure map idea, pirate, parrot and others. And I said, “Oh, that’s where they came from.” And this script from Jack Thorne, who wrote the famous “Adolescence” and produced “Harry Potter” for the stage show, was undeniable. And I said, “Oh, that’s great.” That’s it.
What surprised you about his approach to the material?
All I knew was that I had no idea where it was going, and by the end I was very surprised but satisfied.
You said you wouldn’t be in “Apocalypse” but will you be in “Secret Wars”?
I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have no idea what you’re talking about.
I had to ask, but this was a very civilized answer.
There’s a chip inside me, it’s not metaphorical. There’s a real chip and if I say the wrong thing I’ll be shut down. I don’t know who controls that chip, but someone controls it.