When he steps onstage to perform in the play "Broadway to Oz" in Australia this month, star Hugh Jackman plans to surrender his performances to God.
"Before I go onstage every night, I pause and dedicate the performance to God, in the sense of 'allow me to surrender.'" Jackman revealed to Parade magazine during an October interview.
The actor, who rose to international fame as Wolverine in the "X-Men" franchise, likens his relationship with God to that of Christian runner Eric Liddell in the film "Chariots of Fire." While Lidell's sport helped him connect to God, Jackman believes his live performances do the same.
"I'm a religious person. This is going to sound weird to you. In "Chariots of Fire" the runner Eric Liddell says, 'When I run, I feel His pleasure,'" he told Parade. "And I feel that pleasure when I act and it's going well, particularly onstage. I feel what everyone's searching for, the feeling that unites us all."
Jackman said he knew he wanted to be an actor after having a spiritual encounter at the age of 13.
"I'm a Christian. I was brought up very religious," he said. "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 onstage, like the preachers I saw."
In a 2010 interview with GQ Magazine, Jackman recalled his father motivating him in high school to strengthen his faith.
"I think it was during my high school years. Although I don't remember a specific moment, I certainly remember my father brought us up to believe a spiritual life was the only life to be had," the actor told GQ. "During high school is when being taught that and thinking it for myself came together."
Five years ago it seems Jackman adopted a broader vision concerning faith.
"I'm a little broader in my thinking. ... Some people may think I've gone off track, I'm not sure. But for me, if you put Christ, Buddha and a few other people at a table together, I don't think they'd be arguing," Jackman previously told GQ. "I think there's an essential truth to most of those [religions] and that's probably what I believe in now. Ultimately, it's the idea that we are much more unified than we are separate, and that includes the religions we've created around the world — there is an essential truth there."
Even though the thespian was not identifying himself as a Christian in the 2010 interview, he was not opposed to it.
"My father is still a committed Christian," he previously told GQ. "I don't have any arguments with anything I interpret from that faith."
Showing posts with label Hugh Jackman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hugh Jackman. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
'Les Miserables' a Model for Christian Films?
The 2012 film version of the famous novel and stage production "Les Miserables" has been surpassing many expectations and is on course to become the highest-grossing musical in North American box-office history. Some analysts are saying its strong Christian values are drawing believers to the theaters in droves.
Filmmaker and media consultant Phil Cooke, who has worked on a number of Christian projects in Hollywood, told The Christian Post: "This is the kind of movie Christians should be supporting, taking their friends to, and then discussing afterwards."
"Les Miserables," originally a French historical novel by Victor Hugo published in 1862 and considered by many to be one of the most significant works of the nineteenth century, explores a number of central Christian themes, such as forgiveness, hope and redemption, and has been adopted into various formats.
The novel was turned into an English-language musical, performed originally at the Barbican Center in London in Oct. 1985, and went on to become one of the most successful stage productions worldwide, being adapted for Broadway in 1987, and revived again in 2006.
While "Les Miserables" has previously played on TV and movie screens, the 2012 effort to bring the musical to the big screen could be considered the most significant one to date, as it features a star-studded cast with actors Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfriend. With an estimated $61 million budget, the movie has grossed over $103 million domestically for a total of $170 million worldwide since its release on Christmas Day.
Besides the star-studded cast, several reviews have noted that the movie's strong Christian themes are what are drawing audiences in.
"'Les Miserables' is booming at the box office, and that financial success can in part be traced to a group of its biggest boosters: Christians, particularly evangelicals whom NBC Universal went after with a microtargeted marketing strategy," a CNN review states. "The story in 'Les Miserables' is heavy with Christian themes of grace, mercy and redemption. The line everyone seems to remember is 'to love another person is to see the face of God,'" it adds.
"If you're a Christian and you're seeing this film, you can't help but see these themes," Jonathan Bock, founder and president of Grace Hill Media, the firm behind the movie's marketing campaign, told CNN.
Filmmaker and media consultant Phil Cooke, who has worked on a number of Christian projects in Hollywood, told The Christian Post: "This is the kind of movie Christians should be supporting, taking their friends to, and then discussing afterwards."
"Les Miserables," originally a French historical novel by Victor Hugo published in 1862 and considered by many to be one of the most significant works of the nineteenth century, explores a number of central Christian themes, such as forgiveness, hope and redemption, and has been adopted into various formats.
The novel was turned into an English-language musical, performed originally at the Barbican Center in London in Oct. 1985, and went on to become one of the most successful stage productions worldwide, being adapted for Broadway in 1987, and revived again in 2006.
While "Les Miserables" has previously played on TV and movie screens, the 2012 effort to bring the musical to the big screen could be considered the most significant one to date, as it features a star-studded cast with actors Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfriend. With an estimated $61 million budget, the movie has grossed over $103 million domestically for a total of $170 million worldwide since its release on Christmas Day.
Besides the star-studded cast, several reviews have noted that the movie's strong Christian themes are what are drawing audiences in.
"'Les Miserables' is booming at the box office, and that financial success can in part be traced to a group of its biggest boosters: Christians, particularly evangelicals whom NBC Universal went after with a microtargeted marketing strategy," a CNN review states. "The story in 'Les Miserables' is heavy with Christian themes of grace, mercy and redemption. The line everyone seems to remember is 'to love another person is to see the face of God,'" it adds.
"If you're a Christian and you're seeing this film, you can't help but see these themes," Jonathan Bock, founder and president of Grace Hill Media, the firm behind the movie's marketing campaign, told CNN.
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