20 Times Actors Bet Against Hollywood (And WON)

3. Hugh Jackman - X-Men Franchise

Hugh Jackman's performance as Wolverine is one of the superhero genre's most iconic and brilliant, so it's a sobering thought that we nearly didn't get it. 

First, he wasn't even the original casting choice. Dougray Scott was originally set to play the character but he had to drop out after a motorcycle accident. Then, when Jackman arrived in Canada for filming, he almost got turned away at border control due to his visa not being ready. And finally, he was nearly fired five weeks into filming, as director Bryan Singer and the producers weren't satisfied with his work.

Jackman was, understandably, freaking the hell out but thankfully, this story has a happy ending. Helped on by a pep talk from his wife, Jackman really brought his A-game and started to show Singer and co what he can do. Ultimately, as well as winning over those behind the scenes he also won over skeptical comic book fans, who'd been unsure as to his suitability for the part; Jackman is taller and more conventionally handsome than the character was in the source material. 

In the end, despite a shaky start, Jackman's twenty-plus years as Wolverine have been the highlight of his career. It's a turn that's as ridiculously bad-ass as it is profoundly moving, a turn so fantastic that it's genuinely impossible to imagine anyone else playing Wolverine.