Hugh Jackman sheds tears on '60 Minutes'

By Patrick Kevin Day

Dec. 10, 2012 12 AM PT

Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine mutton chops may make him look tough, but he revealed his tender side during a “60 Minutes” profile aired Sunday night to promote “Les Misérables.”

The interview, conducted by Scott Pelley, involved Jackman discussing his childhood in Australia, which was marred by the actor’s mother leaving the family, forcing his father to raise five children alone.

Pelley asked Jackman, “What advice does [your father] give you today?”

Surprisingly, the thought caused the normally jolly Jackman to choke up on camera.

“It’s always about the family,” he responded. Then he began to tear up, explaining to Pelley that his father has emphasized the well-being of the family unit above the career. This was a way, he suggested, for his father to atone for mistakes he may have made in his own past.

In the segment, Jackman discusses how he and his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, try never to be apart for more than two weeks at a time. However, filming “Les Misérables” did keep them away from each other for longer than that.

The attention-grabbing spot on “60 Minutes” comes just over two weeks before the risky movie musical is set to open in the U.S. on Christmas Day.

Already the film has received mostly favorable reviews and grabbed an award for best cast from the National Board of Review and best acting ensemble from the Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Assn.

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