Hugh Jackman: “My wife screamed: “He’s not a homosexual!” Hugh Jackman is gay.

Benedict Cumberbatch

Now it has eased up a bit, but before this actor was seriously suspected of having a non-standard orientation. The reason was banal - he preferred an evening with beer in the company of Michael Fassbender or James McAvoy to a noisy party. Or with the two of them together, which in the eyes of the public was tantamount to a crime. Bena also got it for Martin Freeman after “Sherlock”: they say, all these pusi-musi of the detective and Dr. Watson in life also have a basis. The artist’s mother, the famous (in the past and in England) actress Wanda Ventham, also added fuel to the fire, who was desperately trying to find her son a respectable wife and get long-awaited grandchildren. And when Ben played in the film “The Imitation Game,” journalists even stopped making bets: it’s obvious that the guy nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his role as a gay man is one! Fortunately, Cumberbatch’s longtime acquaintance Sophie Hunter came into contact in Cumberbatch’s personal life at the right time. In less than a year, they completed the maximum program: they got engaged, got married and celebrated the birth of their first child.

James Franco

Everything here is strange, just like Franco’s life and work in general. James says he is heterosexual, but would not mind being born gay. It’s so cool: you can come out and gain the respect of your colleagues. Moreover, homosexuality, in his opinion, is not just a choice of a partner, but also a certain behavior. “It seems to me that right now for real big star With a big name, it's time to come out and confess. Now right time. I’m not an expert, of course, in this matter, but if there is someone who is very respected and values ​​​​his career very much, then when this happens, everything will happen positively,” the actor once said. In the meantime, Franco hints that he knows a bunch of celebrities who hide their true orientation, journalists suspect him of secrecy. Firstly, he constantly stars as homosexuals in films of his own and other people’s (Harvey Milk, My Name is Michael, Interior: Sadomaso Gay Bar) and actually kisses guys in them. Secondly, earlier this year he published a collection of poems featuring dialogues between a gay Franco and a straight Franco. And this is very, very suspicious.

Leonardo DiCaprio

After a series of long novels (relative to his later life, of course) with Gisele Bundchen and Bar Refaeli, Leo’s women began to change with enviable (or unenviable?) regularity. Blake Lively, Erin Heatherton, Toni Garrn and a string of girls that Wikipedia doesn’t even remember became a good reason for accusing DiCaprio of being gay. Leo, of course, was shocked and commented on these rumors in an interview with Esquire magazine, where he repeated ten times that he was actually not gay. “The fact that I sometimes show up at parties with male friends does not mean that I am gay or am thinking about becoming gay,” Leonardo justified himself, and the suspicion grew larger and larger. In general, by the time of filming in the film “J. Edgar” the artist was already openly considered a player on another team. And having received the role of an FBI director who was suspected of having an intimate relationship with his friend, DiCaprio became even more mired in raunchy Internet rumors.

Kevin Spacey

A chain of ambiguous messages that it’s time for Kevin to tell the world that same secret has been going on since the late 90s. There were plenty of reasons for this: too intimate hugs with men, and participation in gay meetings in a London park, and a sudden photo in which Kevin holds a friend with bare buttocks in his arms (yes, we ourselves don’t know what this could mean!) . The celebrity's accuser is TV presenter Andy Cohen, who in his biography advises Kevin to finally confess everything. Although, perhaps gay Andy is just hitting on the actor in this way?

John Travolta

Travolta was a traditional family man until 2010. Then a lot of complaints began to pour into his name from men whom he allegedly tried to persuade to have sex. They confidently called their 25-year marriage to Kelly Preston a cover-up. Writers, massage therapists, pilots, and waiters admitted that they, of course, did not respond to the actor’s tenderness, but they know for sure that he seduced more than a dozen youthful souls. Moreover, some of them even sued the artist for tidy sums: there is no point in insulting them for free! Travolta responded by finding a good lawyer who disputed everything and left the star money in the family.

Hugh Jackman

Hugh's personal life has always confused his fans. , who is 13 years older than him, and besides, she is not an actress and is far from the first beauty in the city. The couple adopted two children due to Deborra's infertility. But what if it's actually Jackman who has "problems" and simply doesn't want intimacy with the opposite sex? They are also concerned wedding rings. They read in Sanskrit: “We dedicate our union to something higher.” Strange, right? Considering that the actor confesses his eternal fidelity to his wife, he could write her name on the decoration. By the way, it is not he himself who is most worried about Hugh’s reputation, but Deborra, who, at every opportunity, assures the press that her husband is traditional in every sense.

Will Smith

“Blue” rumors surrounded not only Smith himself, but also his entire family. The tabloids believe that both Will and his wife Jada are hiding their true sexuality. Transgender actress Alexis Arquette once again recalled this in January 16th, when she was outraged by Jada’s violent reaction to the fact that the Oscars were bypassing African Americans for the second year in a row. White-skinned Alexis on Facebook asked Jada not to waste her passion in vain, but rather to admit to the whole world her sexual interests and not forget to mention Will. But Arquette deleted the scandalous post on the same day. The couple’s son, Jaden, has also been repeatedly accused of being unconventional for his strange style (he sometimes sins by wearing a skirt instead of trousers) and confession of his feelings to rapper Tyler Creator (on Twitter he directly wrote that he loves Tyler, but then erased everything). The confession of a brothel owner from Los Angeles works against Will himself. She assures that her clients were many Hollywood stars, including Smith, who repeatedly chose boys.

Jared Leto

It seems that Jared doesn’t care at all what rumors are swirling around his person on the Internet. Depending on his mood, he either denies gay gossip or says that he is still too young to decide on his sexuality. Previously, he could at least hide behind the existence of relationships with the ladies (Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Ashley Olsen, Cameron Diaz), but now, when only tumbleweeds are walking in his personal life, there are reasons to attribute him to unconventional guys even more.

The other day Rihanna pretty much tarnished her reputation Cristiano Ronaldo and, without suspecting it, confirmed the football player’s homosexual orientation. There have been no comments yet from a possible representative of the “colored” community, but the news is being circulated quite actively.

So who else from famous men most often labeled as “gay” for every year in a row?

Under a photo from a concert in Spain, in which Rihanna is depicted with Cristiano, the singer left an unambiguous comment:

"I have a lot of gay friends"

As a rule, most famous gays hide behind relationships with women. So former assistant John Travolta I am sure that his long-term relationship with Kelly Preston is fictitious and in fact he prefers men. This opinion is supported by photographs in which John kisses his pilot Doug in an unmanly way. By the way, it was this mysterious Doug, according to the assistant, who was his ardent love for six whole years.

Before Gwen Stefani Gavin Rossdale had an affair with the drag queen Marilyn. At that time, he was 17, and Marilyn was 20. Gavin said that at that time he had little sense in life and was simply trying to grow up, and in what ways was not so important. He remained silent all his life and even Gwen, whom he met in 1996, only told about everything in 2010. She, shocked by this news, took Gavin to a family psychologist and tried to find out what other skeletons were in her husband’s closet and was he really a dove?

Zac Efron is proud that he is loved not only by boys, but also by girls, and also annually thanks the gay community for their support. Of course, the actor benefits from such attention, but where will it lead him?

James Franco Not only does he not deny the truth, but he also does not deny the unreliability of rumors about his orientation. The actor believes that it is time for most gays in show business to admit their orientation, because now is a very, very appropriate time. People are becoming more tolerant, which means many directors will not mind the fact that a homosexual plays a straight man. Who is he talking about, is it not himself? After all, those who follow James’s work know that he has already performed oral sex with a man (in his own film “The Broken Tower”), but this has not diminished his offers.

TV presenter Mario Lopez To make it even more authentic, he already managed to get married, but gossip about his strange hobby still circulates. The media cannot come to terms with the fact that he looks 100 percent gay, but in fact he is a normal man, completely uninterested in any sexual relations with those who are not his wife.

In 2010 Elijah Wood broke up with his girlfriend and has not been seen with females since then. The actor indicated a lack of desire to get married as the reason for the breakup, but the press paraphrased everything and it turned out that he did not want to marry the girl, but Elijah did not disown the guys. 32-year-old Wood responds to all the rumors with only a grin:

“The hurtful gossip about my sexuality is quite funny. And I understand that they can accompany any celebrity..."

Dream man George Clooney haunts the whole blue world. Gays really want such an impressive handsome man to join their ranks. However, George Clooney still maintains the intrigue, saying only that among his friends there are a lot of gays and that being like that is not bad at all.

Jude Law known for his novels and numerous heirs (Jude has four children), but even this did not save him from notoriety. Several Englishmen immediately reported that they saw Jude in the company of gay Mukhtar Safarov, a native of Baku who recently moved to London.

Hugh Jackman did not please the media for several reasons: firstly, his wife is 13 years older than him, secondly, he has no biological children, and thirdly, he is too correct to be straight. The actor's wife thinks it's sad that people have nothing to do and gossip about a person they don't even know.

Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman and actress Deborra-Lee Furness - star couple, who have been together for more than 20 years. Against the backdrop of Hollywood's fleeting romances, their strong union evokes delight and respect. Even a big age difference does not interfere with sincere love. Deborra is 13 years older than Hugh, but they managed to find harmony and complete understanding in their marriage.

The actors fell in love even before worldwide popularity and success. At the time, Deborra-Lee Furness was a famous Australian actress. She starred in the box-office films "The Mountain Ranger", "The News Sellers" and many others. And Hugh Jackman was just taking his first steps on television. Before his first joint project, he managed to star, for example, in the series “Blue Heelers.”

Acquaintance

The actors met on the set of the series “Corelli”.

This was Hugh Jackman's first leading role, so he felt great responsibility for the success of the project. Deborra by that time already had an impressive career and a positive reputation. The series lasted only one season, but became a key event in the relationship of the actors.

Another couple with an age difference: Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky

Hugh and Deborra had to portray love on screen. The producers were worried that the aspiring actor would not be able to portray genuine feelings. But after the first filming, it became clear that the actors radiated incredible love chemistry. All the romantic scenes were filmed in the first take.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Hugh Jackman recalls that Deborra never suffered star fever. He really liked it.

“She was just cool. Since then we have become best friends"- says the actor.

Friendship quickly grew into true love. Although the actress promised herself not to date men under 30.

On The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2016, Hugh again touchingly confessed his feelings when it came to meeting Deborra for the first time:

“She is the best thing that happened to me, I feel good with her.”

Wedding

The ceremony took place at classic style. The bride looked luxurious in wedding dress, revealing the shoulders, and the groom chose a tuxedo. They performed their first dance to the legendary Frank Sinatra song “All The Way”.

In 2019, Hugh Jackman decided to give his wife a romantic surprise. On the show “The Man. The Music. The Show." at Madison Square Garden, he walked off the stage and approached Deborra, who was in the front row. He took her hand and sang that same Sinatra song.

Children

Around the same time that Hugh Jackman took on the iconic role of Wolverine, changes began to occur in his family. In one of the interviews, the actor said that he wants to hear the clear voices of children in his home.

But Deborra couldn't get pregnant. Then they took a serious step and adopted a child. In 2000 they got an Oscar.

In 2005, celebrities adopted Ava.

“I don’t consider them adopted - they are our children,” Hugh said in one of his interviews.

Now the son is thinking about going to college, and the daughter is studying at high school and does dancing.

Hugh is not afraid of his children growing up. In an interview with People, the actor even jokingly notes that he no longer has to watch “Shrek” for the 120th time.

Secrets of a happy marriage

The press has always been interested in the secrets of the strong marriage of Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness. Celebrities do not hide their relationships and willingly share their best moments with journalists and fans.

Hugh Jackman admits that unconditional confidence in his actions helped him in many ways.

“Two weeks after meeting Deb, I knew that we would be together for the rest of our lives,” the actor said.

Another key to a successful life together is making decisions together.

In turn, Deborra established fair rules in the relationship that last throughout for long years. The actress values ​​honesty, loyalty and support. They never violate these basic principles in the family.

"When Deb and I got married, we made a pact that we would listen to each other at every turning point in life and ask ourselves whether it was good or bad for the family," Jackman told Who magazine.

Hugh and Deborra try to keep the spark in their relationship. They travel, often appear on social events together. Deborra was always there for all important ceremonies.

As it turns out, this is not always easy to do. During major premieres, fans more than once pushed her away from Hugh in order to take a photo together without his wife. And this back side medals of marriage with one of the most beautiful men on the planet.

A busy work schedule does not stop the Hollywood actor from reminding the whole world of his love. For this purpose, he came up with a separate hashtag #mydebs on Instagram.

Hugh Jackman's orientation

Throughout the marriage, rumors circulated around Hugh Jackman about his unconventional sexual orientation.

The public simply could not believe that the most handsome man Hollywood can be faithful to a woman much older than him.

The actors try not to comment on the unpleasant topic. In one interview, Furness called gossip about her husband offensive:

“If he was gay, he would be able to say so publicly. It’s annoying because it’s not true,” added the actress.

In an interview with Good Housekeeping, Hugh Jackman commented on the situation as follows:

“I don’t really pay attention [to it].”

Sexual orientation is a phenomenon comparable in unpredictability to natural disaster. Is it worth describing the disappointment that arises in a girl who finds out that the handsome man she had her eye on prefers men? And yet, this happens all the time - and even more so among the “celestials”. No, no, and a stingy female tear will roll down involuntarily when you think about such universal injustice.

So, gays, we're sorry.

George Michael

Personal life of the super popular British singer George Michael's career was shrouded in mystery at the beginning of his career, and later acquired distinct dramatic overtones. Evil tongues, however, claim that Michael did meet with girls, and there were three of them. But at the same time, the megastar actively experimented, simultaneously entering into relationships with men. And then came that dark day when all the women on the planet at once lost George Michael irrevocably - as a heterosexual. In the early 90s, he first admitted that he was gay.

George Michael

This happened after the Brazilian designer Anselmo Feleppa, Michael's first great love, passed away. It was Anselmo who the singer dedicated perhaps his best album Older and the endlessly touching songs Jesus to a Child and You Have Been Loved. For George, this was a real shock also because a loved one died of AIDS. But it all worked out, or it was just luck, and Michael didn’t get sick.

Soon after this, the singer began to openly enter into relationships with men, without fear that such behavior would ruin his career. In April 1998, he was arrested for having sex with a police officer in public toilet. Since then, George seems to have gone completely off the rails - the tabloids often write about his intense personal life.

Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John (this is his full pseudonym) managed to shame all the Puritans and followers of Queen Victoria's sanctimonious morality by becoming a knight and Commander of the Order of the British Empire while being gay. The brilliant musician, who won love and recognition all over the world, spoke about his bisexuality in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine back in 1976. However, he still made an attempt to enter into a traditional marriage, marrying Renata Blauel and courageously holding out for four whole years. This was followed by a divorce and vague hints in the press about his homosexual preferences.

Elton John

Uncertainty in his personal life led the singer to drug and alcohol addiction, from which David Furnish, who appeared in his life in 1993, helped him get rid of it. Since then, Elton and David have been inseparable. They registered their relationship in 2005, and in December 2010 they finally had a child with endless and wonderful name Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, born from a surrogate mother.

Tom Ford

Worldwide famous designer, fashion star Tom Ford is another inescapable sadness for women on both sides of the Atlantic. Before becoming a designer, Tom worked as a model for quite a long time and very quickly realized how much girls liked him. But - alas and ah! - girls worried him no more than seagulls over the Hudson.

Tom Ford

At the age of 25, he was seduced by one Richard Buckley, a journalist who was 13 years older. Since then, Tom and Richard have not parted. They had to go through a lot - a terrible illness, long treatment, Tom's development as a designer. Tom Ford is convinced that same-sex couples have a much greater chance of surviving difficult life challenges. And, apparently, no one will ever convince him of this.

Hugh Jackman

Few people know how to torment women's hearts the way Hugh Jackman does. Most sexy man planet (according to People magazine) is actually gay. Or no, wait! Maybe he's not gay after all? He is married and has two children!

Hugh Jackman

But Jackman seems to be in the same situation as the fence that says what it is not. There is no smoke without fire: handsome Hugh has long been breathing unevenly and intermittently in the presence of John Palermo, the producer of the film “X-Men”. In 2009, a couple came to Moscow, stayed in the same room and continuously ordered champagne all night.

Tired of uncertainty, journalists (surely they were women) settled on the star and demanded the truth and nothing but the truth. But the cunning fox Hugh continues to evade the answer, citing his iron-clad alibi - his wife and two children. They say that Jackman is strongly discouraged from openly admitting his sexuality by a whole staff of image makers, PR specialists and other smart guys who understand that such a confession is a direct path to oblivion. And so - our female brother continues to hope for the fragility of Hollywood marriages and for the attention of a man with the most attractive stubble on the planet. And go to all the films with his participation.

Ricky Martin

The Latin American singer who burst into our dreams with the song Living La Vida Loca is another irrevocable homosexual loss. Its popularity was rapidly gaining momentum, and personal life was surrounded by rumors. He was repeatedly declared gay, but with the temperament characteristic of a true Latino, he indignantly rejected all these dirty hints.

Ricky Martin

At first, he was in no hurry to emerge from the darkness, but when he finally got ready, he did it gradually. In 2005, the star unexpectedly disappeared for three whole years. Then she returned to the musical horizon with a new album, simultaneously hinting to journalists about her bisexuality. And you don’t need to be Nostradamus to understand what kind of profound circumstance his next subtle hint followed.

In March 2010, he acted like a real man, publishing on his official website an official confession of his own erotic preferences. True, honest gays were very skeptical about this statement, suspecting Martin that in this way he was trying to attract attention to himself. Meanwhile, the singer himself talks in all interviews about his intention to marry his beloved man in Puerto Rico.

Robbie Williams

The English land is generous - and not only in talents. Robbie Williams is another subject of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and another hero of our novel. Sir Elton John himself called Robbie Williams the Frank Sinatra of the 21st century. How Sinatra himself would have reacted to this comparison, we will never know. But Williams should be flattered by this.

Robbie Williams

Rumors about his unconventional sexual orientation appeared in the early 2000s - that’s when Kevin Kinsella, former manager The band Take That, in which Williams performed, said that Robbie was hiding his true passions. This information was immediately picked up by the tabloids, who tried to give the star a public flogging - but that was not the case. William sued the slanderers, which he triumphantly won. In 2010, Williams married American actress Ayda Field, which incredibly disappointed his fans, both sexes.

However, on one BBC show, former spice Mel C, known for her outspokenness and loose tongue, laughed in the presenter's face when she asked her a question about Williams. "What do you! Neither Victoria nor I have ever met him in our lives! And in general, he prefers men in bed.”

We met Hugh Jackman at London's luxurious Claridge's Hotel, which has long-standing links with the royal family, justifying its nickname as "the annex to Buckingham Palace." It's funny: the hotel turned out to be the same age as the "greatest showman", the largest figure in American show business of the 19th century, Phineas Taylorum Barn, played by Jackman...

Marie Claire: Phineas Taylor Barnum is, of course, a brilliant character. And you got it. It feels like this role was specially created for you, and the previous ones were just preparation. Did you like the result yourself?

Hugh Jackman: Oh yeah. I had great fun. Seven years ago, producer Larry Mark came to me and told me about his idea to make such a film. I liked the idea and was immediately captivated by my unique character. I had to work hard. I did my own research into the history of show business. Phineas Barnum was a talented showman, entrepreneur, gained wide fame with hoaxes, and organized a circus under his own name.

“I took the biggest risk by agreeing to host the Oscars.”

In general, he attracted me because of his versatility. Barnum skillfully manipulated the public's attention. Many aphorisms are attributed to him, and even fashion magazines quote him. But there was also something very simple and folk about him. If he fought against something, he fought desperately and did not neglect various tricks - he called them “merry trickery”, so it is no wonder that he himself was often called the King of merry trickery. Not to be confused with fraud, which he hated! Barnum was always determined to win, but when he lost, his defeat was stunning, as were his victories. He often took risks, but he saw the world as no one else saw it. Opportunities opened up before him that no one could even dream of. And for this I respect him very much. Others also have similar prospects, but only a few have the courage to realize them.

You speak about him with such tenderness and reverence, as if he went down in history as a scientist, and not as the King of cheerful deception! Where did he start?

Worked in a grocery store. This was his first case and the first damn thing. But he also worked in a visiting circus, in which jugglers and comedians performed and various wonders were demonstrated. By the way, it was there that he learned various tricks and cunning professional manipulations. For example, how to enter a city on the eve of a performance, advertise it so as to sell all the tickets, and disappear before people realize that they were sold something completely wrong.

Tell us about your biggest risk in show business?

I don't know why, but I think I took the biggest risk by agreeing to host the Oscars. Perhaps because a billion people watched the live broadcast. Before that, I also performed on stage, but I’m still far from Billy Crystal. He was my idol, and I tried to be no worse, but I am not a comedian and I felt that I was risking a lot because I could lose much more than I gained. However, I thought: oh, it wasn’t! As they say there: those who don’t take risks don’t drink champagne. Of course, I’m not quite Barnum, but I repeated to myself: “Don’t be timid, get down to business.”

“My brother came up and apologized for those words. Said he was a fool"

I was at your Oscar ceremony and I think that your jokes are top notch.

Yes, they were just giddy (laughs). I couldn't even imagine how many pitfalls there are in being an Oscar host. It's funny - they give you one single piece of paper on which it says: part one, commercial break one, part two, commercial break two - and so on 14 parts. The opening of the first part took 7–8 minutes. I ask, “So what do you want me to do? Any suggestions?" They tell me: “This is your business, you are the leader.” I ask again: “Do you know that I have never done anything like that? I understand that you invited me, but I thought that you would help me and figure out everything.” And that's when I got really scared. But then you start working, you get carried away, you see living people in front of you, and everything gradually falls into place.

The film "The Greatest Showman" is a biographical musical about a man who lived in the 19th century, but the music that sounds in it is quite modern. How do you explain this?

When we began to think about the sound for the film, we felt that Barnum's contemporary music of the 1850s was not suitable. I can tell you with confidence that my 11-year-old daughter would not want to listen to her, no matter how spiritually rich she was. And Barnum would not want to be talked about as if he were a dusty museum piece - he would prefer everything to be modern, fresh and unusual. Therefore, we firmly decided on pop music with an emphasis on the style of Broadway musicals. We turned to Bruno Mars and Pharrell Williams, they wrote the songs. We sang them all and realized that this was what we needed. I must say that Bruno and Pharrell are young guys, we had to work hard to convince the studio to accept their music for the film. But we talked about their enormous influence on modern pop culture. In the end, the best tracks ended up in the film.

I understand about your daughter’s musical preferences. What are they like for you?

I think most people end up appreciating the musical era of their school years the most. I once asked Lorne Michaels which cast of Saturday Night Live was the most successful (the program is very popular in the USA and Canada, aired since 1975 - MC). He replied that whenever they ask this question, people always vote for the acting troupe that aired when they were 19 or 20 years old, they studied at the university and, smoking spliff, watched it on a Saturday evening. These people are the key audience and will always vote that way. I think this applies to music too. I love 80s music and will always listen to it. At the same time, I'm no stranger to my almost teenage daughter's musical tastes, and I really love Wicked, as does my daughter. We agree on this.

"Doing a musical is like walking on a razor's edge"

Everyone knows that you love musicals. Have you ever had problems because of this? Were you considered less masculine, for example?

I didn't have any problems with musicals, but when I was about ten or eleven, my teacher said that I had talent as a dancer. We didn't dance at our school back then. This was Australia in the late 70s. At home, I told my father that I wanted to study in the studio, my brother heard this and called me “sissy”, “girl” and so on. I thought: “Wow!” Now, unlike Billy Elliot, I didn't dance as a teenager. Seven years passed, I turned 18, and this same brother went with his father to watch the musical “42nd Street.” I already forgot about that conversation. After watching, my brother came up to me and apologized for those words. He said he was a fool. The very next day I signed up for dance classes. This is how it happens... I whole year played on stage Peter Allen, a very bright and cheerful person. My wife Deborra-Lee Furness loved the show and came to see it, even though she hates theater in general.

She said that during intermissions she heard people calling me a homosexual among themselves. And then the wife shouted from the toilet stall or from a chair in the stalls: “He’s not a homosexual!” (Laughs.) So, probably, even then some people asked this question. I don't really care.

Do you regret that you started dancing too late?

Certainly. That's why I never felt like a real dancer. I never became one. In 2003, I received the Fred Astaire Award on Broadway for dancing, but I don’t consider myself a dancer. If you put me next to real dancers, they won't even look at me. Or they will look and say: “You catch it on the fly.” So I'm not a dancer. It's like tennis. If you want to be a tennis player, you can't start at 18. So these seven years are very important. Who knows what could have been?

By the way, how was it working with Michelle Williams in your new film? She doesn’t often star in large-scale, high-budget projects.

Yes it is.

It's easier to imagine her in films like Manchester by the Sea..

I know. I think it was unusual for her, especially since we played a married couple, and she, if you remember, also has an 11-year-old daughter. But, as I understand it, it didn’t take long to persuade her. She just finished working in Cabaret on Broadway, she has a huge amount of credibility, she knows how to be both a singer and a dancer, and in this film everyone sings and everyone dances. I was so keen and she was so wonderful that we made the perfect pairing of Barnum and his wife. According to the plot, Barnum lost his way, but his wife continued to live the same life with him. Therefore, in order to carry out our plans, we needed a talented and strong man– like Michelle, no less.

Are you worried that the musicals Les Misérables and La La Land have raised the bar too much in their genre?

I think Moulin Rouge was probably the turning point for the musical. And I'm in the camp of those who believe that if a musical fails, then it can be compared to a teenager's socks. It's horrible and stinks to high heaven. So doing a musical is like walking on a razor's edge. And this partly explains why they are not filmed so often.

In the film, your character is trying to lift his family out of poverty. What motivates you?

This is the kind of question you'll ponder for ten years but never be able to answer. What motivates me? I thought that as a child we lived much poorer than it actually turned out to be. My father was very thrifty, besides, he worked as an accountant and knew how to count money. And I'm glad he wasn't a materialist. He spent money on things that I didn't understand at the time. For example, for education. I didn’t even know that I had to pay anything for this. If I wanted to take a class or learn to play the violin, he always said yes and paid for it all. But if I wanted to buy the latest sneakers, I didn't have the courage to ask him.

“I was on maternity leave. And now ─ childbirth is coming soon"

Are you one of those who leave work at the doorstep, or do you sing and dance at home too?

According to circumstances. I'm a pretty good actor, so I don't have to stay in character when I get home. But I can’t help but worry about how the day went and think about what will happen tomorrow. A lot depends on what is ahead of me. If there is nothing important planned for tomorrow, I can relax. But if I’m at the very beginning of the filming period, then the work doesn’t leave my head and a little jitters may occur.

The other day I was sitting next to the wife of tennis player Roger Federer. So, even after a loss, he comes home, plays table tennis with the children and generally behaves normally. He is philosophical about everything. I'm not at Federer's level.

Do you respond easily to criticism?

It's a pity that negative reviews and criticism motivate me better than praise. If a director praises me for something, I want to say, “Please don’t do that! Because the next shot will come out worse, and then you will say: “Hey, what are you doing?!” I respond better to spanking.

Filming for “The Showman” has finished. Have you already taken on a new project?

No, and I'm looking forward to seeing the musical come into being. Perhaps I will film next fall, but I’m not ready to make any statements yet. In the summer I had “maternity leave”. And now the birth is coming soon (laughs).