Hugh Jackman Shares the Most Awkward Moment of His Acting Career

Hugh Jackman may be one of the most successful actors in the world, but even he has a moment from his career that still makes him cringe. Recently, the actor shared what he calls the most embarrassing experience of his professional life, and it happened long before Hollywood fame.

While talking about his early days on stage, he admitted that things once went very wrong during a live performance. I pissed my pants on stage, Jackman said.

The incident happened in 1995 when he was performing in an Australian stage production of Beauty and the Beast. Jackman was playing Gaston and was still very new to musical theater. At the time, he was learning how to sing while performing in front of an audience.

According to Jackman, the situation started because he was following medical advice. A doctor told him he was dehydrated, so he drank a large amount of water before going on stage.

The doctor told me I was dehydrated so, following direction, I drank so much water that by the time I was doing this number – in red tights, as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast – I basically had a choice of pissing my pants or not singing.

With a full theater watching, Jackman decided to keep singing and finish the performance. Looking back, he sees that time as uncomfortable but important. His contract for the show required weekly singing lessons, and that is when his love for singing truly began.

In a past interview with Playbill, Jackman spoke about how late he came to music. I came to singing late, he said, explaining that he was learning as he went and did not yet understand his own voice.

Even now, Jackman says he struggles to listen to recordings of himself from those early years. I find it really difficult to listen to myself sing. I’ll be listening to the Broadway channel sometimes, and they’ll announce me, and I immediately turn it off, he admitted.

Still, when everything works during a live performance, he says there is nothing like it. When it’s all flowing, it’s as free and as exhilarating as anything I’ve ever experienced in my life.

Today, Jackman continues to balance big movies with his love for the stage. In 2026, he is performing a monthly live show at Radio City Music Hall called From New York, With Love, where he sings songs from his career in theater and film.

He is also set to appear in several upcoming movies. One of them is The Death of Robin Hood, directed by Michael Sarnoski and released by A24, where Jackman plays an older, battle-worn version of the legendary outlaw. The film also stars Jodie Comer and Bill Skarsgård.

Another project on his schedule is Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie, a mystery comedy that features Emma Thompson and Nicholas Braun. The story centers on a shepherd whose sheep become part of a strange investigation.

Jackman recently appeared in Song Sung Blue, a musical biopic directed by Craig Brewer. In the film, he plays a Neil Diamond tribute performer alongside Kate Hudson, and the movie has been praised for its emotional tone and music.

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