Hugh Jackman insisted on meeting Gary Hart before The Front Runner

Hugh Jackman insisted on meeting U.S. politician Gary Hart before portraying him in new film The Front Runner, even though his wife thought it was a bad idea.
The Australian star plays the Senator whose 1988 presidential campaign was derailed by a love affair scandal in Jason Reitman’s new movie, and he felt he needed to get to know Hart before he could portray him.
“My wife said, ‘Are you sure you want to meet him before the shoot, because it may make it harder for you’, but I had to go,” The Greatest Showman star tells WENN. “I had to look him in the eye and let him know I understand how difficult this must be.
“I wanted to say, ‘I take it really seriously and I’m going to do everything I possibly can’. I needed him to feel that.”
Jackman and Hart have since become friends, which made getting an honest review from the politician tough: “When Jason (Reitman) showed the film to Gary the entire campaign team flew into Denver 30 years later to be with him to watch it. I think they wound up watching it the night before Gary. I think he wanted to hear from them whether he should see it or not!
“He was very kind to me. I think that’s the politician in him. We’ve become friends so even if he hated it he would find something positive to say. He knew how nervous I was portraying him.”
And making The Front Runner made Jackman realise once and for all he is not cut out for a career as a politician.
“I saw all those negative ads for candidates and I thought, ‘I’ve got a movie coming out and thank God Matt Damon doesn’t all of a sudden put out an ad stating I’ve seen the movie. It sucks! And by the way Hugh Jackman is a fraud. You think he’s a nice guy and I saw the way he treats his assistant terribly. By the way, why are we giving away American jobs to an Australian!'”