Few actors have become synonymous with one character, a rare accomplishment that Hugh Jackman had in is 17-year tenure as Wolverine. Capturing the character’s rage and quiet pain effectively, Jackman’s performance was the one constantly great part of every X-Men project, often carrying middling films on his shoulders. With this being the case, its wild to think of a world in which Dougray Scott would have accepted the role over Jackman.
In an interview with the Telegraph, Scott relayed the true story behind his decision to decline the role, saying that Tom Cruise prevented him from taking the role:
“That one was out of my control. Tom Cruise didn’t let me do it. We were doing Mission Impossible and he was like, ‘you’ve got to stay and finish the film’, and I said I will, but I’ll go and do that as well. For whatever reason he said I couldn’t. He was a very powerful guy. Other people were doing everything to make it work.”
He added:
“I love what Hugh did with it. He’s a lovely guy.”
This is an intriguing alternate reality that would certainly have changed Scott’s career significantly. While he likely would have been solid, it’s just hard to think of anyone other than Jackman playing the role. It’s telling that Disney has been patient to develop its own X-Men project, delaying the replacement process fresh off 2017’s Logan.
It’s also wild to think about how much pull a star like Tom Cruise had in Hollywood. Scott’s admission makes Cruise seem like a control freak, now allowing his co-star to take advantage of a career-changing role. Cruise as an actor can be very hands-on with the productions he works on, bringing a lot of great creative ideas to projects. However, this can also lead to production clashes.
Would you wanted to have seen Dougray Scott play Wolverine? Let us know in the comments!