Hugh Jackman has responded to the backlash of the soundtrack to The Greatest Showman dominating the album charts for much of the last year. Watch our video interview with the actor above.
Having shifted 1.6 million copies, the soundtrack to the Hugh Jackman-led The Greatest Showman topped the list of 2018’s best-selling albums. The album has stayed in the top 5 of the Official Top 40 since its release in December 2017, making it not only the highest-selling album in physical sales but the most streamed and most downloaded record of the year – as well as the longest to sit at Number One in UK chart history.
Responding to the backlash of it dominating the charts and airwaves, Jackman told NME: “It’s not my world. I’m not a recording artist, I’ve done a few cast albums, so my kids and even my wife are getting so sick of it – they’re like, ‘It’s the 20th week at Number One!’ I’m still excited about it.”
He continued: “If I invented chocolate ice cream and people came up to me and said ‘I hate chocolate’, then alright – that’s OK. There’s loads of people who love it. In the end, I’m a storyteller. I’m an actor who tells stories. Some people didn’t like The Greatest Showman and that’s fine with me.
“It meant a lot to a lot of people. If you spend a lot of time on something and nobody likes it, then that’s a little difficult because you think ‘Wow, I’ve really gone off track here. I really thought this would connect and it didn’t. Of course people are sniffy; it’s quite commercial, it’s down the middle, there are people who wanted us to do different things with the character than what we were doing.”
Meanwhile, Jackman is set to hit the road for European and UK tour in May and June, ending a few weeks before Glastonbury 2019. Asked if he’d be interested in the Sunday legend’s slot at Glasto, Jackman sounded keen but said that he’s due to be in the US for this year’s festival.
“Yeah [I’d like to play], but I’ve never heard of this before,” replied Jackman. “You’re the first person to mention this so I don’t know if you have any contacts…”
Jackman’s upcoming UK and European tour dates are below.
Tuesday May 7 – SSE Hydro Glasgow, UK
Wednesday May 8 – SSE Hydro Glasgow, UK
Sunday, May 12 – Sportspalais Antwerp, Belgium
Monday May 13 – Barclaycard Arena Hamburg, Germany
Tuesday May 14 – Mercedes-Benz Arena Berlin, Germany
Thursday May 16 – Lanxess Arena Cologne, Germany
Friday May 17 – Ziggo Dome Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Sunday May 19 – Hallenstadion Zurich, Switzerland
Tuesday May 21 – SAP Arena Mannheim, Germany
Wednesday May 22 – AccorHotels Arena Paris, France
Friday May 24 – Manchester Arena Manchester, UK
Saturday May 25 – Manchester Arena Manchester, UK
Monday May 27 – Birmingham Resorts World Arena Birmingham, UK
Tuesday May 28 – Birmingham Resorts World Arena Birmingham, UK
Thursday May 30 – 3Arena Dublin, Ireland
Friday May 31 – 3Arena Dublin, Ireland
Sunday June 2 – The O2 Arena London, UK
Monday June 3 – The O2 Arena London, UK
Tuesday June 4 – The O2 Arena London, UK
Wednesday June 5 – The O2 Arena London, UK
Thursday June 6 – The O2 Arena London, UK