Fan Forum - Hugh Jackman #3 - Because such a wonderful person deserves all the success in the world!

I agree, Kiane! :) Glad you enjoyed reading the facts, ina_am.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eternal Flame (Post 89641983)

I honestly didn't know he was spiritual, very cool that he's reading about various religions

Oh, yeah no doubt! Here are some quotes from him regarding that if you're interested. What he says is intriguing. I'd love to know what you think as this aspect of Hugh inspires me. Here are the quotes:

Talking about meditation with Oprah Winfrey (2006)

"Now I meditate twice a day for half an hour. In meditation, I can let go of everything. I'm not Hugh Jackman. I'm not a dad. I'm not a husband. I'm just dipping into that powerful source that creates everything. I take a little bath in it. My son, Oscar, asks me, 'What's meditation?' I say, 'I'm just gonna go sit with God and have a rest.' Occasionally, he'll sit with me."

Describing the inscription on his wedding ring (2008)

"My wife and I ... our wedding rings bear a Sanskrit inscription that means 'We dedicate our marriage to the service of the Absolute.' You can take 'Absolute' to mean whatever your understanding of it is, but we had this idea that nothing, no person, no union of two people, no country, is greater than the Absolute and that our lives should be dedicated to the service of the Absolute, the service of truth, the service of God."

On truth (2009)

"What is true is true and will never change, whether it is found in the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, or Shakespeare."

On why he became even more deeply involved in humanitarian work, even traveling to several third world countries to provide aid and support with World Vision.

"I suppose my commitment to a spiritual life has now deepened, and I now believe that there's no point in just believing in something or holding onto some idea unless it holds a practical application in your life; otherwise, it really has no use to anyone. Knowledge comes through actually doing something. If we hold onto the idea that we are equal, then we should all work on something that makes that happen."

In response to interviewer describing Les Miserables as a religious story (2012)

"I like to think of it in the modern-day sense - Victor Hugo talks about Valjean undergoing not just a transformation but a transfiguration. Valjean transforms in such a complete way that it is religious in nature, not just emotional or physical. I think in some ways, Hugo was attacking the church at that point for being so exclusive. For Hugo, and I agree with him, the line was 'To love another person is to see the face of God' - he believed religion needed to be less about rules and sermons and more about practical love and the example of Jesus Christ."

Talking about his admiration for the way his father practiced Christianity (2012)

"I remember at one point being in fellowship, and everyone used to wear the fish symbol; it said you were a Christian. So I asked my father, 'Dad, why don't you wear that at work?' And he said, 'Your religion should be in your actions' ... I asked Dad if he told people at work he is a Christian, and he said, 'No. What you say is immaterial. It's what you do that matters.' My dad set a great, great example."

In response to the interviewer asking him how he stays so modest despite his successes (2013)

"I've always believed in God and that that journey is the most important journey. I call it the inner journey. And so much of our business is about the outward, so I am fairly strict about my practice of meditation and reflecting and taking a moment to connect [spiritually] to what is real. It's not about false modesty or deflecting. It's just about seeing, really, that it is not necessarily me, Hugh Jackman, [performing]. There is a greater power and it's about opening up to that and just allowing that to be, and the moment you think even for a second that, 'I'm pretty good ... I did this,' you're in trouble because it's not the truth." In response to the interviewer asking him how he stays so modest despite his successes.

In response to interviewer asking how he knew his wife (now of 21 years) was the person he was supposed to marry (2013)

"The way I explain [that conviction is] ... there is a greater power - however we describe it - God... and when you are lucky enough for the grace of that power to come into your life to make things clear to you ... it's the greatest feeling in the world because it doesn't matter what anyone says."

When asked when he knew he was meant to be an actor (2015)

"I'm a Christian. I was brought up very religious. I used to go to different evangelists' [revival] tents all the time. When I was about 13, I had a weird premonition that I was going to be on stage like the preachers I saw."

When asked if he has had experiences that confirm that acting is what he is meant to be doing (2015)

"Absolutely ... onstage I feel an intimacy that feels natural, that's transcendent. You're beyond, 'Do people like me? How am I doing?' You get above that. I've very rarely experienced it in my everyday life, but onstage I experience it a lot. That's what attracted me to it."

When asked what acting gives him that he really needs beyond just the money and fame (2015)

"That's the best question I've ever been asked [in an interview]. Peace. There are things driving me that aren't all healthy such as needing approval and respect to fill some hole who-knows-where inside of me. I ask myself, 'Am I worthy?' [I have] all those fears. Through acting, I'm able to find a level of bliss and peace and calm and joy. It feels natural.

The interviewer then told him he sounds religious and his response (2015)

"I'm a religious person ... in Chariots of Fire, the runner Eric Liddell says, 'When I run, I feel His pleasure.' And I feel that pleasure when I act and it's going well, particularly onstage. I feel what everyone's searching for ... that feeling that unites us all. Call it 'God' ... [I feel God]. Before I go onstage every night, I pause and dedicate the performance to God, in the sense of 'Allow me to surrender.' When you allow yourself to surrender to the story, to the character, to the night, to the audience, transcendence happens. And when that happens, there is nothing like it on the planet. It's [also] the moment people experience when they fall in love."

When asked about what inspires him to do so much humanitarian work (2015)

"I was brought up with a religious sense of giving back. I am given opportunities, more money than I could ever need. If you see money or fame as energy, then use it to help others. Paul Newman did that. That's what inspired me to start Laughing Man. My wife inspires me [too]. She is constantly reminding me that we're all connected. A person's sick or hungry and needs help - well, help them! That's all it is. Deal with what's in front of you. Things have been put in front of me where I have to say, 'OK, this is there for me to help.'"