We all know about the cult-favourite Wolverine, Hugh Jackman. But did you know that someone else was actually set to play the part? That actor was Dougray Scott. His version of what happened behind the scenes feels like one of those situations where timing, power, and bad luck all lined up at the wrong moment.
Everything began on the set of ‘Mission: Impossible II‘, and the chain of events that followed ended up changing two major careers in Hollywood. And you wouldn’t believe that Tom Cruise is the one to blame.
‘Mission Impossible II’ Schedule Complicated Everything For Scott
Emilio Estevez once told him that Tom Cruise watched ‘Ever After‘ at a private screening in his home and immediately decided Scott was the person he wanted for the villain role. Because of that, Scott flew out to meet Cruise and director John Woo, where Cruise greeted him. They chatted, spent time together, and even played a game of pool.
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Scott later joked that he worried he messed things up by winning, but it clearly didn’t cost him the role. From there, things moved quickly. Even though Scott was still early in his Hollywood journey, he said he didn’t feel too much pressure on MI2 because Cruise carried most of the weight as the lead.
And when the movie was released, it became the highest-grossing film of 2000, which wasn’t surprising considering Cruise’s influence at the time. However, that success came with a downside. Filming ran longer than expected, and that’s when the clash with X-Men began.
By then, Scott was already confirmed to play Wolverine in the first X-Men movie. With roles in films like ‘Ever After‘ and ‘Deep Impact‘, he had steady momentum, and Wolverine could have taken things up another level for him. But because MI2 ran over schedule, everything got complicated.
Why Dougray Scott Thinks Tom Cruise Ruined His Shot At Wolverine
Dougray Scott opened up to The Daily Telegraph that Cruise insisted he stay and finish MI2 before doing anything else. Scott said he was fully ready to finish the movie but believed he could still manage X-Men afterwards. According to him, Cruise said he couldn’t do both. And since Cruise had a serious influence in the industry back then, the situation didn’t work in Scott’s favour.
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Even though people tried to line up a workable plan, nothing fit. Eventually, Scott had to pull out of X-Men altogether. That opened the door for Hugh Jackman, who stepped in at the last minute. And from there, the rest is history. Jackman took the role, made it his own, and played Wolverine in nine films.
Despite all of this, Scott never held anything against Jackman. He said he genuinely liked Jackman’s performance and described him as a lovely person. Scott kept moving forward, too, taking roles in ‘Taken 3‘, ‘My Week with Marilyn‘, and, more recently, the TV series ‘Batwoman‘.
