Vault: Hugh Jackman Joins The Show

Summary

---

The Bert Show: Vault – Hugh Jackman Joins The Show

Date: April 1, 2026
Special Guest: Hugh Jackman
Host/Cast: Bert, Kristin, Abby, Cassie, Tommy & The Bert Show Crew

---

Episode Overview

This engaging episode features a light-hearted, candid conversation with internationally adored actor Hugh Jackman. The morning radio show crew chats with Jackman about the breadth of his career, his down-to-earth personality, the pitfalls of fame, and his reflections on Hollywood culture—delivering plenty of laughs and memorable stories throughout.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The "Perfect" Hugh Jackman?

[00:41 – 01:39]

• The hosts kick off by humorously listing Jackman’s many talents: film, stage, television, singing, physical fitness, and being “talented in every area.”
• QUESTION: What doesn’t Hugh Jackman excel at?
  • Hugh Jackman [01:41]: “DIY, do you call it DIY here, 'Do it yourself'... The only thing handy about me, my wife says, is that I'm close by. That's about it really.”
  • Jackman describes himself as “pathetic” at handyman work, recalling a story from his time at a gas station, faking expertise about car maintenance.

2. On Avoiding Typecasting in Showbiz

[02:38 – 03:14]

• Co-hosts admire Jackman’s ability to avoid being pigeonholed as an actor, spanning roles from Broadway to blockbusters.
  • Hugh Jackman [02:52]: “The thing I've always loved is doing different things. And pretty early on... not all of them worked, but I try to surprise people... For me, I find doing the same thing, I get a little stale.”

3. Playing Wolverine & Creative Fulfillment

[03:14 – 03:41]

• Asked if Wolverine is professionally fulfilling:
  • Hugh Jackman [03:19]: “Oh, yeah. Unbelievable. I mean, there's no way I wouldn't do it otherwise... Wolverine is... This is Mad Max. This is Dirty Harry. This is Han Solo.”

4. Being Named Sexiest Man Alive

[03:41 – 04:10]

• Hugh Jackman [03:48]: “It was relief, you know, man, I've been working at that for so long, trash talking Clooney and Pitt, all these guys, for years. It's lonely. I laughed, and then I thought, oh, I'm gonna get so much crap from my friends in Australia, which can I tell you? I did.”
  • Jackman received embarrassing teenage photos from friends as a joke.

5. Hollywood’s Seriousness

[04:25 – 04:53]

• Hugh Jackman [04:34]: “Come on. We... At the end of the day, we're dressing up and pretending to be someone else. You know what I mean? It's a great job. I love it.... But it's fun. I'm a big believer that life's meant to be fun. And if you're going too long where it's not fun, then you're probably heading down the wrong track.”

6. Celebrity Sightings (Fan Stories & First Starstruck Moment)

[05:02 – 06:24]

• A co-host shares her excitement at seeing Jackman at the W Hotel in LA.
• Jackman recounts being awe-struck meeting John Travolta on set.
  • Hugh Jackman [05:26]: “I grew up... I think I saw Grease 50 times... when John Travolta walked in, I was like, there's no way in hell I can act with this guy. I'm just staring, you know?”

7. Autographs, Fan Access, and Cricket Legends

[06:24 – 07:24]

• Discusses his openness to fans and autographs, referencing an unfulfilled childhood dream to get Don Bradman’s autograph.
  • Hugh Jackman [06:30]: “If anyone wants an autograph from me, all you gotta do is, by the way, just come up and say, listen, my son. I go, no problem. You got it.”
• He enjoys interacting with fans and the energy of movie audience screenings.

8. At Movie Screenings Incognito

[07:24 – 08:02]

• Jackman describes going to the midnight screening of “Wolverine” and being recognized by the crowd.
  • Hugh Jackman [07:46]: “At one point, I thought I was going to have to leave because there were about 50 people around me and the movie had already started trying to get an autograph. And I was like, unreal... I'm like, hey, I want to watch the movie.”

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Handyman Skills:

  • Hugh Jackman: “The only thing handy about me, my wife says, is that I'm close by.” [01:47]
  • “I'm pathetic.” [02:18]

• On Avoiding Typecasting:

  • “I try to surprise people... I find doing the same thing, I get a little stale.” [02:52]

• On Playing Wolverine:

  • “This is Mad Max. This is Dirty Harry. This is Han Solo.” [03:19]

• On Sexiest Man Alive:

  • “I've been working at that for so long, trash talking Clooney and Pitt, all these guys, for years.” [03:48]

• On Celebrity Culture:

  • “We're dressing up and pretending to be someone else. You know what I mean? It's a great job... But it's fun. I'm a big believer that life's meant to be fun.” [04:34]

• On Meeting John Travolta:

  • “There's no way in hell I can act with this guy. I'm just staring, you know?” [05:26]

• On Autographs:

  • “If anyone wants an autograph from me... just come up and say, listen, my son... You got it.” [06:30]

---

Episode Highlights & Timestamps

• Jackman’s DIY Confessions: [01:41 – 02:25]
• Typecasting and Acting Philosophy: [02:38 – 03:14]
• Sexiest Man Alive Reactions: [03:41 – 04:10]
• Thoughts on Hollywood: [04:25 – 04:53]
• First Celebrity Starstruck Story: [05:26 – 06:24]
• Autograph Philosophy and Don Bradman Story: [06:24 – 07:24]
• Wolverine Screening Madness: [07:24 – 08:02]

---

Tone & Atmosphere

Friendly, humorous, and conversational—the show’s genuine admiration for Jackman is matched by his warmth and self-deprecating wit. There’s a consistent vibe of playful banter between co-hosts, with moments of personal connection and infectious laughter.
Jackman’s humility and openness shine through, making the episode as charming as it is entertaining.

---

For All Listeners: This episode is a treat for fans of Hugh Jackman and anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes realities of fame, sprinkled with authentic humor and inspirational perspectives on life and career.

---

Transcript

[VRBoCare Narrator]

With VRBoCare, help is always ready before, during and after your stay. We've planned for the plot twists, so support is always available because a great trip starts with peace of mind.

[Chase Sapphire Lounge Announcer]

This is the Chase Sapphire Lounge at Boston Logan. You got clam chowder in New York, dirty martini over 1300 airport lounges and one card that gets you in Chase Sapphire Reserve. Now even more rewarding.

[Hugh Jackman]

Learn [e-mail] Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan, Chase bank and a member

[Chase Sapphire Lounge Announcer]

FDIC subject to credit approval. This is the Bird Show.

[Hugh Jackman]

So what brings you to our fair city? Victor Creed. Who's there? Man, I'm gonna kill.

[Interviewer]

If you like that kind of thing,

[Co-Host 1]

that testosterone kind of manly thing.

[Interviewer]

If he's your kind of guy.

[Hugh Jackman]

Yeah, get straight to the point, right?

[Interviewer]

You know, if you like that. Chiseled features, cut 4% body fat, talented in every area, cool accents, great relationship with his wife, you know, multimillionaire thing. If that's your thing, then let me go ahead and introduce you to Hugh Jackman. Good morning, Hugh Jackman. How are you?

[Hugh Jackman]

Morning guys, how are you? Great.

[Interviewer]

How are you today?

[Hugh Jackman]

I'm good, man, Very, very good. Beautiful day here in New York. Happy days in that.

[Interviewer]

Because I did do some research on you yesterday and it does just appear to be that you're good at everything. I mean, you're on stage, you're singing, you're in movies, you're doing the whole, you do tv, Broadway, you're hosting Academy Award shows. Outside of that, you're Kay and swimming and yoga. Every day I am curious what frustrates you? Like what are you not. What do you suck at?

[Co-Host 2]

What are you not doing?

[Hugh Jackman]

Diy, do you call it DIY here, Do it yourself. You know, like handyman stuff.

[Co-Host 3]

Like if you had to fix a cabinet in your house.

[Hugh Jackman]

The only thing handy about me, my wife says, is that I'm close by. That's about it really.

[Interviewer]

So if a light bulb needs changing or something like that, then you are not the guy to do it.

[Hugh Jackman]

Shocking. You know, I actually worked in a gas station for three years and about once every three days, it was a self serve gas station. So someone would come in and say, look, I'm really embarrassed, I'm so sorry, but I don't know where the oil. I don't know where to put the oil in my car, right. And I had absolutely no idea. And I was like, well, I'm really sorry, I could help you, but for security reasons, I can't leave the console area. You just have to ask one of the other customers, of course. No problem. I'm pathetic.

[Co-Host 3]

Don't you get worried that because you have to call repairmen to come over to your house, your wife might leave you for one of those repair guys?

[Hugh Jackman]

That's why I'm now an unemployed actor staying at.

[Co-Host 1]

So I am curious, though, like Bernhead said, I mean, you both. You're successful on Broadway, you're successful in movies, like Epic movies like Australia, and then you play Wolverine. How did you get to the point where you weren't typecast like so many actors are in any of those genres,

[Hugh Jackman]

you know, It's a good question. I suppose. The thing I've always loved is doing different things. And pretty early on, I. And trust me, not all of them worked, but I tried to do different things, and I try to surprise people, you know, with the things I do. And for me, I mean, I find doing the same thing, I get a little stale. So that's just sort of the way it works for me, you know?

[Interviewer]

Is playing Wolverine professionally fulfilling for you?

[Hugh Jackman]

Oh, yeah. Unbelievable. I mean, there's no way I wouldn't do it otherwise. I mean, I'm in one of those really lucky situations where I get to choose the things that really turn me on, you know, so that I really want to do. Wolverine is. I'd never read the comic book before, but just as a character, you read it on the page, you go, man, this is. This is Mad Max. This is Dirty Harry. This is Han Solo.

[Co-Host 2]

Hugh, I'm curious, when you first learned that you've been named Sexiest Man Alive, what is your initial thought?

[Hugh Jackman]

It was relief, you know, man, I've been working at that for so long, trash talking Clooney and Pitt, all these guys, for years. It's lonely. I laughed, and then I thought, oh, I'm gonna get so much crap from my friends in Australia, which can I tell you? I did.

[Interviewer]

No doubt.

[Hugh Jackman]

Several of them sent me photos of me as a teenager. Very uncompromising photo. Very unsexy photos. Give me a thousand bucks or I'm sending this straight to People magazine. That kind of thing, you know, you have.

[Interviewer]

You seem to have such this great attitude about everything that you're involved in. Do you sometimes feel that Hollywood takes itself too seriously?

[Hugh Jackman]

Yeah, for sure.

[Interviewer]

Yeah.

[Hugh Jackman]

Come on. We. At the end of the day, we're dressing up and pretending to be someone else. You know what I mean? It's a great job. I love it. And, you know, I've sort of dedicated my life to it. But it's fun. I mean, I'm a big believer that life's meant to be fun. And if you're going too long where it's not fun, then you're probably heading down the wrong track.

[Interviewer]

Hugh Jackman on the Burt show this morning.

[Co-Host 2]

Hugh, I have to tell you a personal story, and thank you, because on my very first trip to Los Angeles, you were my very first celebrity sighting. So I have to.

[Hugh Jackman]

Where were we?

[Co-Host 2]

It was at the Home Depot. It was at the W Hotel. And you were outside having lunch. Looked like a business person having a business lunch. And my friend and I spotted you, so you provided me that very first celebrity sighting experience, which was really exciting to me, and I wanted to know who was yours.

[Hugh Jackman]

That's a good question. Very first. I have to tell you, I'm not sure if this is the first. The first thing that came to mind was working with John Travolta, who. I grew up. I think I saw Grease 50 times. I was probably 8, 9 years old at the time. And when I was working with him, I remember I got a phone call from the producer saying, john wants to rehearse before we shoot first day of rehearsal. And so we went into the set, my heart was pounding, and when John Travolta walked in, I was like, there's no way in hell I can act with this guy. I'm just staring, you know? So that was. I was so glad we did a rehearsal because otherwise I would have been really, really bad on film. That's. That was probably. That's. That's sort of one of the biggest impressions I have in my mind. Wow. And apart from that, I was a sport guy, right? So I used to go and hang around. I was one of those kids that hung around for autographs. I have books and books of autographs of all my favorite sports people, but you wouldn't know any of them.

[Interviewer]

So I imagine then having that experience, you're probably very accessible as far as getting an autograph goes.

[Hugh Jackman]

Yeah, my. Okay. So I grew up playing cricket, right? I don't know if you've heard of cricket. It's a game we play in Australia, and I was so into cricket. And there's one player called Don Bradman. He's like Dwayne Gretzky of cricket. He is so far above anyone else. And my. My dad went to an event. Don Bradman famously never signs autographs, right? So he went to the event, and when my dad. I stayed up all night waiting for him to come home. And Don Bradman was at this event. And I said, dad, dad, dad, did you get an autograph? Please tell me you got an autograph. And he said, oh, Hugh, it really wasn't appropriate. There were a lot of people. And I was so mad with him. I kind of never let go of it. And if anyone wants an autograph from me, all you gotta do is, by the way, just come up and say, listen, my son. I go, no problem. You got it.

[Co-Host 3]

You know, you're gonna get 12 year olds coming up to you going, hey, Mr. Jackman. My son wants me to sign that. Wants you to sign this for me.

[Hugh Jackman]

No, I'm good. I actually, I quite like meeting the fans because, you know, I was brought up in the theater. That's sort of where I started. And the film thing, you can be. You get dislocated and away from your fans, you know? So I turn up. I went to the midnight screening of Wolverine the other night, because I like to sit in there and kind of be part of it and feel that energy, you know?

[Interviewer]

Did anybody realize it was you in the theater?

[Co-Host 2]

Better wrap it up.

[Hugh Jackman]

Yeah, they did. They did. It kind of went a little crazy for a while. In fact, at one point, I thought I was going to have to leave because there were about 50 people around me and the movie had already started trying to get an autograph. And I was like, unreal.

[Co-Host 2]

That's awesome.

[Hugh Jackman]

I'm like, hey, I want to watch the movie. No.

[Co-Host 3]

Why don't you just show off?

[Hugh Jackman]

And it was pretty nutty. It was great.

[Interviewer]

Well, Hugh, we know you got a million of these to do today, so thank you for taking the time to join us, and we'll tell everybody for sure. Go out and see Wolverine again this weekend.

[Hugh Jackman]

It's great to be on the Bird Show. Thanks, guys.

[Co-Host 3]

Thank you.

[Interviewer]

What a great guy, huh?

[Co-Host 1]

He's awesome.

[Co-Host 2]

Is he.

[Interviewer]

And

[Co-Host 2]

Melissa Carter,

[Interviewer]

I mean, Melissa Carter got the.

[Co-Host 1]

I mean, Jen always gets a good question with every celebrity, so she couldn't just let me live in the spotlight with my, you know, geekiness and Wolverine. But whatever. I did get a good question. My first good question. Good question.

[Co-Host 3]

I want to wave a card because Jen was so pushing for that with her crap story about Hugh. I'd like to kiss your ass and tell you that I went to la and I remember I said it was

[Interviewer]

the first celebrity sighting ever.

[Co-Host 3]

Hugh, let me set this up. What I'd really like to do, if I could just place my nose against your buttocks, it would be really, really wonderful. If I could just.

[Interviewer]

You wouldn't have told him that, Javi. It doesn't matter how you got does.

[Co-Host 3]

You can't be so. God, how are you even. How can you even hold your head high, woman?

[Interviewer]

How could you even complain about that?

[Co-Host 2]

You can't. Melissa Carter got the worst experience ever with like a celebrity signing. I had to tell him that story.

[Co-Host 3]

I heard you climb into his pants and tell him.

[Interviewer]

Melissa, congratulations.

[Co-Host 3]

Congratulations, Melissa, for a perfectly natural. Good question.

[Co-Host 1]

Thank you.

[Interviewer]

And there was nothing wrong with yours either.

[Co-Host 2]

How was mine not perfectly natural?

[Co-Host 3]

Hi, Hugh, I understand you're the best looking man in the world and I wanted to let you know I agree with that. I was out in LA and I was looking at all the celebrities, but

[Interviewer]

you know who my most favorite thing?

[Co-Host 2]

Why is he being competitive? He didn't get a good question.

[Interviewer]

He's competitive about.

[Co-Host 2]

I actually should be competitive about this.

[Co-Host 1]

Well, mine did come first, so whatever.

[VRBoCare Narrator]

This is the Birch show with VRBoCare. Help is always ready before, during and after your stay. We've planted for the plot twists, so support is always available because a great trip starts with peace of mind.

[Chase Sapphire Lounge Announcer]

This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace.

[Talkspace Testimonial Speaker]

Last year, I went through many different life changes. I needed to take a pause and examine how I was feeling in the inside to better show up for the ones who need me to be my best version of myself.

[Chase Sapphire Lounge Announcer]

When you're navigating life's changes, Talkspace can help. Talkspace is the number one rated online therapy, bringing you professional support from licensed therapists and psychiatry providers that you can access anytime, anywhere.

[Talkspace Testimonial Speaker]

Living a busy life, navigating a long distance relationship, becoming a first stepfather, Talkspace made all of those journeys possible. I could speak with my therapist in the office. I could speak with my therapist in the comfort of my home. I was never alone.

[Chase Sapphire Lounge Announcer]

Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a zero dollar copay. No insurance, no problem. Now get $80 off your with promo code SPACE80 when you go to talkspace.com match with a licensed therapist today at talkspace.com save $80 with code [e-mail].