You can be an Oscar-nominated actor; the face of one of the most prolific and highest-grossing action film series in history; a respected theater actor and someone engaged in social causes — and still suffer from impostor syndrome. For recent college graduates wide-eyed and uncertain about the future, Hugh Jackman has some comforting words: You will fail, and you will fail often — and that is the best path to success.
“My life hasn’t gone the way I thought it would,” Jackman recently told Ball State University graduates during his commencement speech. “Many of the best things that ever happened to me were mistakes, failures or random classes I took just to get a degree.”
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It may seem surprising that the Oscar-nominated star, who shone in hits like Les Misérables and Wolverine, is still facing failure. Jackman has spent decades perfecting his craft and racking up awards in film, TV and theater, becoming one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood and even the fifth highest-paid actor in 2024.
However, the 57-year-old actor’s career would be very different today if it weren’t for his mistakes in college. Jackman only found his true calling after spending years following another career path — and even his transition to the stage was fraught with obstacles. He has continued to fail over the years, but recognizes that this is part of the process.
“I could pick a few stories that show that with well-defined goals, hard work, and a little luck, you too will make it to the top. But I’m here to tell you that life just doesn’t work that way,” continued Jackman. “Well, at least not for me. For most of my life, I just didn’t know… And I don’t mean at 22 or 27 — I mean six months ago.”
Jackman “failed” to achieve his acting career
Long before starring in The Greatest Showman, Jackman was a communications student specializing in journalism at the University of Technology Sydney. He says he did “the minimum necessary” to get his diploma, but realized that, to graduate, he needed to take one more elective course. A friend recommended the “easy” one available: theater appreciation.
For the first three weeks, Jackman didn’t even show up to class. And when he finally showed up, the then-aspiring actor was randomly chosen to play the lead role in the class play. Jackman says he practically cowered under the table in fear, but continued with the task to graduate.
And during a performance of the play at a local university, something changed — “every cell” in his body told him he had finally found his true calling. Although he had spent years pursuing another career, he decided to radically change direction. Then another obstacle arose.
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Jackman auditioned for a year-long acting course at the private dramatic arts school Actor Center Australia in Sydney and won a place in the competitive pool of 20 students. However, the program required a payment of $3,500, and the young actor didn’t have the money. But sometimes destiny finds other ways to make things happen.
Throwing the acceptance letter in the trash, Jackman dismissed the idea of attending the course — but the next day, a check for $3,500 unexpectedly arrived in the mail from his grandmother’s inheritance. So he rescued the letter from the trash and never looked back, never missing a class again.
“Some would say it was pure coincidence. Who knows? But wherever they come from, are the signs always this obvious? No,” Jackman said. “In fact, they are often silent, subtle — and often disguised as failure.”
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The Tony winner reported that this wasn’t the last time he made mistakes in his career. He once ignored an uncomfortable feeling and starred in a film for which he knew he “wasn’t the right choice”, which ended up failing at the box office — and, in the past, he has grimaced when remembering some of his films, such as Movie 43.
On another occasion, he went against his intuition and turned down a role in the Australian musical The Boy From Oz, which he later described, regretfully, as “one of the greatest roles I have ever seen”. From those mistakes, he learned to trust his instincts and follow what feels right. And he advises young graduates to do the same — even if it’s scary or doesn’t pay much.
“I felt the pain of not listening to that inner voice. And at that very moment, I promised myself that I would always listen to my intuition from now on,” Jackman said.
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“How do you trust this intuition? Well, first of all, let’s throw out the idea of ’perfect,'” he continued. “Let’s also accept that even mistakes can end up being the best thing that ever happened to us. But if it scares you, it’s probably a good sign. If it excites you, it’s a great sign. And if you’re not sure you’ll make a dime out of it, but you still want to go down that path, it’s an amazing sign.”
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