Filmmaker Bryan Singer has faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct and unprofessional behavior on the set of his films in recent years. In a recent interview with The Guardian, star Hugh Jackman acknowledged the rumors of Singer’s unprofessional on-set behavior.
Speaking on his history with the filmmaker, Jackman — who rose to superstardom following his role in the X-Men franchise — spoke about Singer’s behavior and confirmed that, today, that type of behavior would not occur.
“This was my first movie in America, you gotta understand; it was all so new to me,” Jackman said. “I think it’s fair to say that … there are some stories, you know … I think there are some ways of being on set that would not happen now. And I think that things have changed for the better.”
In 2020, Singer — who directed four X-Men films, including 2000’s X-Men, 2003’s X2, 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past, and 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse — was accused by Halle Berry of numerous instances of on-set unprofessionalism. Accusations included Singer routinely getting into fights with people, with actress Jennifer Lawrence later saying that he would throw “hissy fights” on set as well. On top of that, Singer also had multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct levied against him, leading to him being removed from the upcoming Red Sonja project.
Despite the way that Singer’s inclusion in these projects may have tainted how fans and those involved look back on it, Jackman does say that he looks back on his role with pride, although he did note that it is an incredibly complex thing.
“That’s a really, really complicated question,” said Jackman. “There’s a lot of things at stake there. X-Men was the turning point, I believe, in terms of comic-book movies and I think there’s a lot to be proud of. And there’s certainly questions to be asked and I think they should be asked. But I guess I don’t know how to elegantly answer that. I think it’s complex and ultimately I look back with pride at what we’ve achieved and what momentum that started.”