Bryan Singer, the director of the X-Men trilogy, recently came under fire for his on-set behavior and now one of his most famous stars, X-Men mainstay Hugh Jackman, spoke about his experience with the director. While the X-Men trilogy Singer directed may have paved the way for superhero movies going into the next decade, his methods may have been less than savory.
As early as 1997, Singer has been the subject of a number of allegations and lawsuits. In 2014, a new crop of allegations surfaced. Singer was eventually relieved of his duties as the director of Bohemian Rhapsody after more allegations began to emerge. He has not directed a film since then.
Jackman, who of course portrayed Wolverine in Singer’s X-Men films, recently spoke with The Guardian. When asked about his experience on the set, including if the director’s subsequent issues and the allegations against him have changed his perspective on the films, he shared the following:
You know, that’s a really, really complicated question, there’s certainly questions to be asked and I think they should be asked. But I guess I don’t know how to elegantly answer that … I think it’s complex and ultimately I look back with pride at what we’ve achieved and what momentum that started.
Jackman added “There are some stories, you know … I think there are some ways of being on set that would not happen now. And I think that things have changed for the better. There’s way less tolerance for disrespectful, marginalizing, bullying, any oppressive behavior. There’s zero tolerance for it now and people will speak out, and I think that’s great.”
Jackman is currently preparing for his return to the X-Men in 2024’s Deadpool 3.