Hugh Jackman's Monster Mash

Hugh Jackman has done Broadway as the Boy From Oz, but he recently told TV Guide Online about something even scarier than sambaing in tight pants to "I Go to Rio." We're referring, of course, to Wolverine's turn as that mysterious hunter of evil creatures in Van Helsing (arriving tomorrow on DVD).

TV Guide Online: What did you think the first time you watched Van Helsing?
Hugh Jackman: I was like, "Wow!" I had some idea what it might look like, but had no idea it was going to be such a nonstop roller-coaster ride.

TVGO: Do you enjoy scary movies?
Jackman: I was a big horror-movie fan as a kid, like Halloween and The Evil Dead. The skeleton in my closet is — I hate to say this, mate — I've seen all the Friday the 13th films. I haven't seen Freddy vs. Jason yet, so maybe I'm growing out of it.

TVGO: Will you be playing Wolverine again?
Jackman: There will be a third X-Men. They are working on a script right now.

TVGO: But are you the next James Bond?
Jackman: There is something very secretive about the way they cast that role, and I've never had an official call asking, "Are you interested or not?" But there's no guy I know who wouldn't want that role.

TVGO: I heard you gave Barbara Walters a lap dance during one Boy from Oz show.
Jackman: I did not — Peter Allen did that. At least, that's my defense. Matt Damon joined me, and she was a great sport about it.

TVGO: What are your favorite films?
Jackman: There are three movies I always go back to: Raiders of the Lost Ark, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and Singin' in the Rain. As you can tell, I have very eclectic taste.

TVGO: The reviews on Van Helsing were mixed. Do critics ever bother you?
Jackman: Sometimes it hurts a little bit, but no one can be as harsh as some of my acting teachers back in school. I'm really critical of myself. I don't need a critic telling me I'm crap — I know when I'm crap, and believe me, I have been at times. [Laughs]