Hugh Jackman says The Death Of Robin Hood’s action scenes were the hardest he’s ever done
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Hugh Jackman in The Death Of Robin Hood. The revisionist film deconstructs the legendary hero, portraying him as mean and murderous, haunted by his bloody past.
PHOTO: SHAW ORGANISATION
- The Death Of Robin Hood stars Hugh Jackman as a dark, violent version of Robin Hood, exploring myths and redemption in 13th-century England.
- Jackman says the film's action scenes were the toughest he's ever done, including heavy costumes and brutal, muddy fights.
- The movie challenges traditional hero stories and opens in Singapore cinemas on July 9, promising surprises, emotion, and striking visuals.
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NEW YORK – Starring Hugh Jackman in the title role, The Death Of Robin Hood is a dark revisionist drama depicting the fictional outlaw from English folklore as you have never seen him before.
Instead of the valiant hero who robs the rich to give to the poor, he is mean and murderous – a withered old man hiding from the survivors of his crimes and their relatives, who continue to hunt him down, seeking vengeance.
The movie, which is directed by American film-maker Michael Sarnoski (Pig, 2021; A Quiet Place: Day One, 2024) and opens in Singapore cinemas on July 9, is set in 13th-century England and sees Robin suffering a devastating injury after attacking some villagers with his old friend Little John (Bill Skarsgard).
As he is nursed back to health by a mysterious nun named Sister Brigid (Jodie Comer), he gets a chance at redemption.
“It is a complete deconstruction of the myth,” says Jackman, 57, at the film’s premiere in New York in June.
It also raises questions about myths and legends more broadly, explains the Australian actor, who played Wolverine in the X-Men superhero franchise (2000 to present) as well as the 2018 and 2024 Deadpool films.
“What are these stories that we’ve grown up with? Why are they so important? Why do we need them to be black and white, and what is the power of story in and of itself?” asks the star, who received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for the musical drama Les Miserables (2012).
Hollywood has made more than a dozen Robin Hood movies to date, and the character has been played by actors such as the late Sean Connery, as well as Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe.
But this is the first film to portray Robin as an outright antihero.
“It is a cautionary tale about the power of story and mythology – about the stories we believe, the ones we invest in, and the stories we tell about ourselves,” Jackman says.
Hugh Jackman in a scene from The Death Of Robin Hood.
PHOTO: SHAW ORGANISATION
As bleak as the story gets, however, he believes viewers will be entertained.
“I think audiences, if they’re anything like me, want to be taken on a ride where they have no idea where they’re going, where things are a little bit surprising – where there’s emotion, there’s action, there’s incredible visuals,” says the actor, noting the beauty of the filming locations in Northern Ireland.
“They’ll go to a world that they may have never been in before and, ultimately, I think it’s very cathartic.”
Having played Wolverine in 10 feature films, he is used to physically demanding roles – but his action scenes as Robin Hood pushed him to his limits.
“I’ve got to tell you these were the hardest action sequences I’ve ever done in my life,” says Jackman, who filmed many of them wearing a fur coat that weighed 90kg and required the help of three people to put on.
“And I’m proud of them, but they were not enjoyable to shoot.
“There was a lot of mud – which I’m still getting out of places a year later,” jokes the entertainer, who also won acclaim for his more dramatic turns in films such as the crime thriller Prisoners (2013) and period drama The Prestige (2006).
“But they were meant to be brutal and they were meant to be violent and unsettling, and they felt a little bit like that doing them,” says Jackman, who attended the premiere with his girlfriend Sutton Foster, a 51-year-old American actress.
Hugh Jackman attending the premiere of The Death Of Robin Hood in New York City on June 10, 2026.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Asked how this character compares to Wolverine in terms of toughness, he says: “Oh, he’s right up there. I’d still back Wolverine in a fight because he’s got the claws and he can heal himself.
“But they’re both pretty awesome. And let’s face it: Robin’s good from 200 yards with a bow and arrow.”
The Tony-winning Broadway performer feels that he could not have played this character earlier in his career.
“I don’t think I was ready before now to do a film like this,” says Jackman, who will portray another iconic figure – the pirate Long John Silver – in English director Ridley Scott’s adaptation of the 1883 novel Treasure Island, now in pre-production.
“I think there was a feeling of letting go in me, as well as in the character,” the actor says.
“We found each other at the right time.”
The Death Of Robin Hood opens in Singapore cinemas on July 9.
