Hugh Jackman is as multifaceted an entertainer as it gets.
But as far as his personal life goes, he's only been known for one relationship. The Australian actor was already married to Deborra-Lee Furness by the time he bared his claws in 2000's X-Men—so from pretty much day one as a global star, he came as part of a packaged set.
Which, consequently, made the recent news that Jackman and Furness had separated after 27 years of marriage all the more disorienting, not least because they dazzled together at the Met Gala in May and took in some tennis at Wimbledon in July. But also because they're what we've known all this time.
Though at least if anyone was going to stay classy in this situation, it was these two, the parents of son Oscar, 23, and daughter Ava, 18, jointly telling People they had been "blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage" but were going their separate ways to pursue their "individual growth."
So, what's sprouting for Jackman now?
Professionally speaking, his next chapter will boast the same hallmark as the previous pages, in that he has a list of titles in various stages of production to tackle once the ongoing actors' strike is resolved. (Jackman is among the A-listers who, according to the union, has donated at least $1 million to SAG-AFTRA's Emergency Financial Assistance Program.)
The actor, who's celebrating his 55th birthday Oct. 12, wrapped his Tony-nominated run on Broadway in The Music Man in January, scored a Golden Globe nomination for acting in a motion picture drama for The Son, then headed to London to shoot Deadpool 3, finally returning the favor 14 years after Ryan Reynolds graced X-Men Origins: Wolverine with his own smartass presence.
The actors have been Kimmel-Damon-style "feuding" for a devoted audience of millions ever since, their antics only getting more endearing as time has gone by.
"I think it's fair to say they'll be punching the s--t out of each other the whole time," Jackman quipped to People last October, teasing the Wolverine-Deadpool dynamic. But, he added, "All jokes aside, I'll probably have more fun on this movie than any other I've ever done."
And though production on the likely blockbuster is suspended for the time being, the fun continued in East Rutherford, N.J., on Oct. 1, when Jackman piled into the most-watched VIP suite on the planet with Reynolds and his wife, Blake Lively, Deadpool 3 director Shawn Levy and [checks notes] ah, yes, Taylor Swift to watch Chiefs vs. Jets at MetLife Stadium.
Not that attending a high-profile sporting event is unusual for Jackman, who over the summer caught the Wimbledon final, watched the English and Australian national teams square off in cricket and was welcomed to Wrexham, Wales, to watch Reynolds' football (the other kind) club take on the MK Dons of Buckinghamshire.
But if this is the squad Jackman is going to be palling around with now, then obviously we're here for it.
"It's a lot of fun," Reynolds discreetly told Extra at the Oct. 9 Bring Change to Mind Gala of the group's recent outing. "The NFL right now is reaching a kind of fever pitch that is usually only reserved for the Super Bowl."
Meanwhile, Jackman had kicked off game day with a walk in Central Park, snapping a pic with the Bethesda Fountain in the background for the 'gram, which features quite a few shots of the star basking in nature, working out and enjoying food and drink.
So he's clearly staying in fighting shape ("Hurts so good," he captioned a recent gym video). But while you're howling at the moon in anticipation of seeing Jackman in a bright yellow superhero suit ripped right from the comics—"I don't know if this is our last shot at Wolverine on screen," director Levy told EW.com, "so I was going to make goddamned sure we get the old yellow and blue just once"—you can catch him in something sort-of new on the small screen.
Drawn by the allure of having "2 million feet of film" to work with and a lot more time to tell the story over streaming, Baz Luhrmann has reworked his 2008 epic Australia, starring Jackman and Nicole Kidman, into a six-chapter series premiering on Hulu Nov. 26.
And speaking of new chapters in a more literal sense, in addition to waiting for the siren call of "Action!" to ring out on a film set once again, Jackman is reportedly in the early stages of writing a memoir.
A rep for Jackman has not yet responded to E! News' request for comment on the project. But he did indicate last December that he had entered an especially introspective period, telling Australian publication Who (per TODAY.com) that he had started therapy.
"Having someone really smart [to talk to], who's a little bit removed from your world, can be really helpful," he explained. "Most importantly, it's helping me to be more relational with the people I love in my life, and really understanding and living in their shoes and being clear to be able to see them."
Jackman also opened up about how his life as a father of two and slowly losing his own dad to Alzheimer's informed his titular role in The Son, which took place in the same universe as 2021's The Father, starring Anthony Hopkins in an Oscar-winning turn as a family's declining patriarch.
Making the film had an unexpected effect on Jackman, whose reputation for being the kindest, cheeriest person on set follows him everywhere he goes. "I have always been able to go to sleep quickly and sleep as long as I wanted," he told Variety last fall. "But not on this one. I look back now and I'm like, 'Of course I wasn't sleeping.' There's some history of mental illness in my family, and there was a lot of stuff coming up for me."
During the shoot, he recalled, "I was waking up at 4 a.m., knowing I hadn't had enough sleep. Thank God I was playing a part where I was meant to look like s--t, because I was feeling pretty bad."
Jackman said the movie, which he first watched privately with Furness and their kids before its splashy premiere at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, changed him as a parent. "I'm more vulnerable in front of my kids emotionally," he explained. "I'm more verbal about stuff I'm going through, even if it's stuff to do with them."
But however much Jackman chooses to share going forward, in his reported book or otherwise, he's also made it clear that he's not just busy working out. He's working everything out as he goes, as well.
And keep reading for more scenes from Hugh Jackman's squad era (Taylor's version):
Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively
The group cheers on Travis and his team the Kansas City Chiefs as they face off against the New York Jets at Metlife Stadium Oct. 1. This marks Taylor's second appearance at one of his games as they continue to spend time together.
Taylor Swift, Brittany Mahomes, Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds
Taylor Swift, Brittany Mahomes, Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds
Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively
Taylor Swift, Brittany Mahomes, Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively
Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively
Sophie Turner, Taylor Swift & Ryan Reynolds
Taylor Swift, Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds
Taylor Swift & Ryan Reynolds
Sophie Turner & Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift & Ryan Reynolds
Taylor Swift & Sabrina Carpenter
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift