I’ve been mildly depressed over Matt Damon’s fall from grace as the hot liberal icon he once was to me, so this Hugh Jackman interview is a welcome change. Hugh is one of the few “good guy” actors we have left, and he comes across as so open, genuine and just happy to entertain us.

Hugh has a new cover profile with Parade to promote his role in Pan. Pan is out next weekend and will likely do well as family-friendly movies can clean up at the box office. (It’s doubtful I’ll go see it as my son is aging out of kid’s movies and this only has a 45% on RT. ) Hugh plays Blackbeard in this origin story for Peter Pan. He tells Parade that when he was filming he brought up objections to material which his children, who are adopted, might be sensitive to. Hugh and his wife of nearly 20 years, Deborra-Lee Furness, founded a charity to help promote adoption in their native Australia. He also does other charity work with causes like AIDs and poverty, and recently founded Laughing Man coffee, with all profits going to charity. Here’s some of what Hugh told Parade and if you’re even a casual fan I would recommend that you read the whole piece as there’s so much more.

On whether Pan is special to him because, like Peter, his mother left him:
“Yes. [But] I was more sensitive about its connection to my two adopted children. In scenes at the orphanage in the beginning of the movie, the nun talks harshly: ‘Your mums are not waiting for you. You’re not going to see them again.’ I actually read this to my wife and talked to [director] Joe Wright about it. I went, ‘Hang on. This is dealing with adoption and orphans. I want to make sure that this movie is not something my kids are going to feel weird about. Every movie I do, I think, My kids are going to see this. When it’s a movie about adoption, I want to make sure that they don’t feel uncomfortable.”

On, aside from money and fame, what acting gives him that he really needs:
“That’s the best question I’ve ever been asked. Peace. There are things driving me that aren’t all healthy–[needing] approval and respect to fill some hole who-knows-where in me. Am I worth? All those fears. Through acting, I’m able to find a level of bliss and peace and calm and joy. And it feels natural…You’re beyond ‘Do people like me? How am I doing?’ You get above that. I’ve very rarely experienced it in life, but onstage I experience it a lot. That’s what attracted me to it.”

On how he felt when he first met his wife (actress Deborra-Lee Furness):
“We met on a TV show [the Australian series Correlli]. I was terrified when I realized I had a crush on the star of the show. I was like, ‘My first job, the leading lady. Embarrassing. She’s going to look at me like this young little puppy.’ I didn’t talk to her for a week. Finally, she said, ‘Have I done something to annoy you?’ I said, ‘Look I’ve got a crush on you. I’m sorry.’ And she said, ‘Oh, I’ve got a crush on you too.’ And that was 20 years ago [laughs].

On what worries him the most:
“My kids. They’re growing up with great privileges and great challenges. And they have this fame and paparazzi that I didn’t have to encounter because no one was interested in my father. We worry a lot. In some ways they get a free pass from people when they shouldn’t be given a free pass…In a way they have to be better behaved, be more respectful, have more gratitude than other kids. I try to keep their life as down-to-earth as possible. I really do.”

[From Parade]

I love that he teaches his kids to be grateful, respectful and humble. I try to do the same. Hugh and Deborra-Lee have spoken many times about how they met and it never gets old for me to hear that story, it’s really sweet. Hugh also told Parade that he “knew immediately” that he would marry “Deb,” but that he “forced myself to wait six months.” I hope these two always stay together.

Hugh also spoke at length about his Christian faith and how he uses his higher power to help him let go and surrender to a performance. He said that when he’s on stage he sometimes reaches a place where he feels an intimacy and connection with the audience that’s “transcendent.” Oh and I loved what he said about discipline and how he organizes his day. “Today, even when I’m not working, I structure my day. I’m regimented about my eating, my training, my singing practice and all that. I like that.” It shows. This guy is an inspiration and a true star.

Hugh is shown at a press conference and premiere for Pan in Japan on 9-28-15. Credit: WENN.com