Hugh Jackman honored the legacy of Stan Lee following his death Monday, telling Stephen Colbert of the lessons he learned from the Marvel co-creator who had changed the lives of so many.
For one, Lee indirectly taught Jackman that a wolverine, his name sake hero, is in fact a real animal and not some made up character.
“Embarrassingly, I didn’t know what a wolverine was, and I had never heard of such an animal, and I presumed it was a made-up name for the comic book,” Jackman said Monday on “The Late Show.” “I had never read an X-Men comic, I’d never seen a wolverine, we don’t have them in our zoos. We have a lot of crazy animals in Australia. I presumed it was a wolf, and I did study wolves. I watched some documentaries. There was a big IMAX documentary, and I went to see it twice at the time.”
Of course, it wasn’t the only time Jackman was embarrassed or humbled by being around Lee. As he paid tribute him, Jackman told Colbert about Lee’s enormous fame, sharing a story of himself in his prime as Wolverine at Comic-Con.
“But if you ever want to get an understanding of where you’re at in the world, I’m Wolverine, I’m walking into Comic-Con, this is my spot, right? This is a good day for me,” Jackman said. “I was on a red carpet, and I was the only one there, and no one was taking my photo, because on the other end was Stan Lee.”
Jackman yesterday posted on Instagram that Lee was a “creative genius” after he died at the age of 95, adding to a chorus of voices singing the comic legend’s praises. And he reiterated that sentiment Monday night.
“Let me just say to the family and t0 the legions of fans that I remember Stan as a true gentleman who had this glint in his eye. He was a creative genius,” Jackman said. “He thought outside the box. He created a whole universe and changed the lives of so many people, myself included.”
Watch Jackman’s full segment on “The Late Show” above. Jackman’s film “The Front Runner” is in theaters now.