Hugh Jackman Talks Going Green and Neil Patrick Harris With New York Magazine

Hugh Jackman, star of Broadway's A STEADY RAIN with Daniel Craig, currently in previews, took time out of his demanding rehearsal and performance schedule to participate in Climate Week, which began in New York yesterday. After speaking at a U.N. press conference on the importance of climate control, Jackman sat down with New York Magazine to talk going green and, yes, the man we cannot get enough of these days, Neil Patrick Harris.

Jackman became an ambassador for World Vision, a poverty fighting charity two years ago, when he linked up with charity leader Tim Costello.  His exposure to impoverished nations through work with Wold Vision led to his participation as a sponsor for the Climate Group.  Below is an excerpt from his interview with New York Magazine:

HJ: being involved officially with Tim has been amazing, and we've been on two trips, Cambodia and this July we went to Ethiopia. And that was really what solidified for me the importance of campaigning not just on issues of poverty but also on climate change, because they are inextricably linked."

NYT: So what can we do to fight global warming?
I think start at home. It's an issue of consumption, of course. Simple things. Also, drinking Fair Trade coffee. For me, I suppose, using my voice. I make a living pretending to be someone else, so I'm not going to lie to you that I'm an expert on this, or on the politics of it, or how to get these things done. But I did make a promise to Dukali, this farmer [in Ethiopia], that when Climate Week happened or when the leaders were here that I would do my best to edge my way into a room to tell his story. And to try and make sure that his voice and other impoverished people from developing nations are heard, because they need to be heard.

Jackman also had a few things to say about fellow award ceremony host Neil Patrick Harris. "I got home last night and I saw his opening, which was just genius. The guy is so good."  

Read the full New York Magazine interview here.

Hugh Jackman won a 2004 Tony Award, Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World awards for Best Actor in a musical for his portrayal of the 1970s singer-songwriter Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz. Previous theater credits include Carousel at Carnegie Hall, Oklahoma! at the National Theater in London (Olivier Award nomination), Sunset Boulevard (MO Award - Australia's Tony Award) and Disney's Beauty and the Beast (MO Award nomination). From 2003 through 2005 he hosted the Tony Awards, winning a 2004 Emmy for Outstanding Individual Performer in a Variety, Musical or Comedy program. Mr. Jackman made his first major U.S. film appearance as Wolverine in the first installment of the X-Men franchise, a role he reprised in the enormously successful X2 and 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand. Most recently, he reprised his role in X-Men Origins: Wolverine which serves as a prequel to the popular series and grossed an outstanding $85 million domestically in its first weekend of release in May 2009. On February 22, 2009, Jackman took on the prestigious role of Oscar host as he fronted the 81st Annual Academy Awards. Live from the Kodak, he wowed those in attendance and helped ABC score a 13% increase in viewer ship from the previous year. In late 2008, Jackman appeared in 20th Century Fox's romantic action-adventure epic Australia directed by Baz Luhrmann. In early 2008, Jackman was seen in the 20th Century Fox film Deception opposite Ewan McGregor.  In 2006 Jackman formed Seed Productions with his producing partners John Palermo and Deborra-Lee Furness. Deception was Seed's first feature. Additionally that year, Jackman was the recipient of ShoWest's Male Star of the Year award. Recently, Jackman has starred in Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain, Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, and Woody Allen's Scoop. In addition, he lent his voIce To the animated features Happy Feet and Flushed Away. Other leading roles include Someone Like You, Swordfish, Van Helsing, and Kate and Leopold, for which he received a 2002 Golden Globe nomination. Jackman's career began in Australia in the independent films "Paperback Hero" and "Erskineville Kings" (Australian Film Critics' Circle Best Actor award and The Australian Film Institute Best Actor nomination). In 1999, he was named Australian Star of the Year at the Australian Movie Convention. Hugh Jackman is current appearing in A Steady Rain with the permission of Actors' Equity Association.

A STEADY RAIN is produced on Broadway by Frederick Zollo, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Raymond L. Gaspard, Frank Gero, Cheryl Wiesenfeld, Jeffrey Sine, Michael Rose and Robert Cole. Set and costume design are by two-time Tony Award winner Scott Pask, with lighting design by two-time Tony Award nominee Hugh Vanstone and original music and sound design by Mark Bennett.

Tickets range from $130.00 to $66.50 with specially priced $31.50 student tickets. The performance schedule for A STEADY RAIN is as follows: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm, and Sunday at 3pm. For tickets visit www.telecharge.com at 212.239.6200.

For more information visit www.asteadyrain.com