Deborra-lee Furness and Hugh Jackman might have split almost three years ago, but she’s got some strong feelings about his latest decision.
Hugh, 57, has infuriated his ex-wife, 70, after all but confirming he will be returning as Wolverine, something Deb is deeply “worried” about due to the physical strain of the role.
Hugh’s fitness regimen to transform into the ripped superhero involves an intense four-to six-day split of heavy compound lifting with hyper-caloric dieting, which is no easy feat.
“Hugh doing another Wolverine movie sent Deb into a tailspin,” an insider exclusively tells New Idea.
“She knows she has no say or influence over him any more, but he’s still the father of her kids and she will never stop worrying about his health and wellbeing because of it.”
We hear that Deb has taken the extraordinary measure to reach out to Hugh’s new partner, Sutton Foster, because she is concerned over Hugh putting himself through the physical transformation again.
“She’s taken the extraordinary step of opening up a direct line to Sutton,” our source explains.
“Deb is ready to set aside some of her resentment toward Sutton, but more than that, she needs to know what’s at stake and how to help steer Hugh towards safer decisions.
“Sutton was completely stunned to get Deb’s message, and she’s cautious about it, but there’s no doubt it’s gone a long way to start healing that ugly mess.”
“Deb made it clear they’ll never be friends, but she still cares for Hugh and wants him to succeed for the sake of their kids.”
Hugh declared that he would never play Wolverine again after 2017’s Logan, so hearing him now toy with another round is a huge red flag for Deb.
The alarm bells have been raised after Hugh teased that he would return to the role as he addressed the prospect of another actor taking on the role.
“I’m 57. I’m doing it till I’m 90. So, you know, I’ll do a little time capsule for them,” he told Barstool Sports of the advice he’d give his potential successor.”
“I’m not going to say anything to whoever plays him, ’cause no one said anything to me, which I really am thrilled about. And I had not read the comics, so I was just coming to it fresh. And I learned a lot over the years.”
“Of course, I’ve got my own take, but it must be melding with me in some way. I hope someone just comes in and does whatever the f*** they want and makes it their own.”
An intense video shared to his Instagram showing him doing press-ups with a huge chain around his neck has only further fuelled speculation that he’s about to return to the Marvel universe.
There’s no doubt that Wolverine has become a huge part of Hugh’s life, given it’s been more than 25 years since he first put on the claws.
Hugh first portrayed Wolverine when he was 31 years old in the 2000 movie X-Men, and he has since reprised the role for another 11 feature films.
Each time he returns as Wolverine, he has to undergo a major physical transformation, which he has described as the “hardest” part of the role.
To achieve Logan’s physique, Hugh eats 6,000 calories a day, forcing down huge quantities of protein to bulk, something which Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has advised him on.
He pairs this with intense progressive overload weightlifting, which Hugh has admitted has become more taxing on his body as he has gotten older.
Of course, Hugh tries to stay in good physical shape all year round to make the transformation easier, but it’s clear that Logan’s appearance is far from the norm of any general gym-goer.
