VARIOUS: Hugh Jackman steps out on the blue carpet for the UK premiere of his new movie 'Real Steel'

Record ID: 219047

  • Title: VARIOUS: Hugh Jackman steps out on the blue carpet for the UK premiere of his new movie 'Real Steel'
  • Date: 12th September 2011
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMIR KHAN, BOXER, SAYING: "Some guys fight like a robot, you know very stiff but we fight quite loose and chilled. I mean I use my brains when I fight, I'm very smart, I use my game plan, but a lot of fighters kind of go in there like robots. So I understand where the film is coming from. I know -- what he's talking about where there're some fighters who fight like robots but I mean I'm not one of them." JACKMAN AND KHAN POSING AT PHOTOCALL / WIDE OF BLUE CARPET
  • Embargoed: 27th September 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVACFWOKE3Y5G9FEYR3Y3I2GY6GU
  • Story Text: Hugh Jackman stars in new movie "Real Steel", which is a film part sports drama, part sci-fi in which robots have replaced human beings in the boxing ring.
    The Australian actor, famous for playing the Wolverine character in the "X-Men" movies, joined director Shawn Levy and his co-star Dakota Goyo on the blue carpet in London on Wednesday (September 14).
    Jackman said the film had elements of past boxing classics like the "Rocky" films and described it as "one of those great rousy sports dramas that I grew up loving", which he said was the ultimate reason for him to accept the role.
    The film is set in the near future, the year 2020, and Jackman plays Charlie Kenton, a former boxer, who tries to cope in a new world where his sport is now being fought by 8-foot tall robots. While Kenton is struggling to makemeet he becomes reunited with his estranged 11-year-old son Max (Dakota Goyo) after the boy's mother dies. What starts out as an ill-fated father-son reunion slowly turns into a loving relationship thanks to the pair's mutual love and commitment of a 'bot' named Atom.
    Jackman also described the film as "a father and son story set amongst in this amazing world."
    While the actor's character appears to have little parenting skills, director Levy said in real life Jackman is far the opposite.
    "Hugh is kind of the most amazing dad that I've ever seen," Levy said, adding that "I would keep having to encourage him to be more of a bastard. More of a bastard. He's like: 'Are you sure? I feel like I'm really being mean.' And I'm like: 'Hugh, you're version of being mean is still OK."
    "Real Steel" offers plenty of action, with robots taking on each other in the ring. To make the steel giants move like and fight like human beings the film's special effects team used some of the motion-capture technology that was developed by James Cameron for "Avatar".
    "It's not computer animation. Those are real boxers", Levy explained. "(They were) coached by Sugar Ray Leonard who are actually fighting each other and were converting the data of their boxing into their robots."
    Leonard, a former professional boxer, also helped Jackman prepare for his boxing scenes.
    "There is really not much to the film where it's physical for me which was nice," Jackman said. "But when it is I really had to look like a boxer so Sugar Ray (Leonard) helped me and I remember him saying to me, he said: 'Make sure you don't make me look bad', so."
    "Real Steel" has its UK release on October 14.
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