Hugh Jackman Bumps Into His Former P.E. Student on the Red Carpet—Watch!

While he didn't make him do jumping jacks, the Prisoners star had the last laugh when he pulled rank on an unsuspecting reporter

By Josh Grossberg Oct 04, 2013 2:28 PMTags
Hugh Jackman, P.E. PupilBBC

Little did this guy know at the time that he had Wolverine for a gym teacher! 

Walking the red carpet at the Zurich Film Festival to pick up a Golden Icon Award for his big-screen work, Hugh Jackman had a little fun with journalist Rollo Ross when he reminded him of the fact that he used to be his P.E. instructor before he was famous!

Naturally, hilarity ensued.

"How is your education going?" the 44-year-old Hollywood star asked. "Did I set you up for life?"

"Oh, yes definitely!" said the red-faced reporter.

The two met when Ross was Jackman's student at Uppingham School in Rutland England way back in 1987. 

Ross went on to pose a serious question to the X-Men actor about his latest role in the kidnapping thriller, Prisoners, wondering what makes him angry in real life. Jackman couldn't resist turning the tables and reverting to his old role.

"You know what makes me angry, Rollo? It's students who don't really listen. No, it's the kind of students who don't bring their kit and the kind of students who don't jump in the pool when I tell them to. That's what makes me angry, Rollo," a stern Jackman deadpanned.

"In fact, I'm remembering you more and more," he added, before flashing that mischievous smile of his. 

Of course, it was all for a good laugh as Jackman is known as one of the nicest guys in showbiz.

No doubt, he burnished his reputation.

After the encounter went viral, Rollo told E! News that when the first X-Men movie was released, one of his childhood friends called and asked him if that was "their school teacher, Mr. Jackman, starring in the movie?" Rollo said that he didn't realize it prior to that call because "you just don't make the correlation that your teacher is now a movie star."

Ross reconnected with Jackman, however, when he interviewed the actor for X-Men: Days of Future Past, which recently wrapped production. According to the reporter, Jackman kept looking at him funny and said he knew him. When Rollo revealed that the latter was his teacher, he told E! News that Jackman was shocked and remembered, then laughed, and ever since has been giving him a hard time when they bump into each other.

Jackman's latest movie is the critically acclaimed thriller, Prisoners, which finds him playing a father who takes matters into his own hands when his daughter and her friend disappear. It debuted two weeks ago atop the box office and has so far grossed $41 million in the U.S.

The Aussie meanwhile is slated to reprise his iconic role as Wolverine in X-Men: Days of Future Past, due out next May.

—Reporting by Alicia Quarles