Hugh Jackman Speaks On The Need For Mental Health Support On Film Sets

Movie star Hugh Jackman recently spoke about mental health and how having a psychiatrist on the set of films is essential. The Australian actor is famous for his role as Logan in the "X-Men" franchise. Jackman has also starred in lauded films like 2012's "Les Misérables," "The Greatest Showman" in 2017, and several other titles.

The actor's most recent film credit is "The Son," where he plays the father of a boy battling depression. Jackson revealed that a psychiatrist was brought to the film's set and emphasized the need for this to be common practice because of how mentally draining some projects tend to be.

Read on to learn more.

Jackman just got candid about how tasking his movie, "The Son," was on his mental health while filming. He joined BBC in an interview released on Tuesday, where he revealed that while filming was going on, the producers made sure psychiatrists were on set to attend to the cast and crew in case they wanted to talk.

"The Wolverine" star shared that while it was the first time he had witnessed such a practice, it was an important addition to the set. He said (per The Hollywood Reporter) "This was the first time I'd ever seen such a thing on a film. And people used it, and it was necessary."

"The Son" sees Jackman play Peter, the father of a 17-year-old named Nicholas (Zen McGrath), who has growing mental struggles that eventually affect the lives of his parents after their divorce. The film was an adaptation of a play by Florian Zeller, its director, and solely focused on the topic of depression.

During the interview with BBC, Jackson talked about intimacy coaches and how they have become more rampant on movie sets due to the increasing number of intimate scenes in films. He explained that mental health support should be increased too and made available on movie sets, particularly projects that are more tasking than most.

The "Greatest Showman" actor explained, "There's a little part of the old school part of my brain [that thinks], 'Well, that's up to you to work out.' If you need to go to a doctor, for whatever reason, your foot, your mental health, you know, you work that out."

Jackman continued, "But I think it certainly would be a sign from an employer that we understand taking care of the whole person, not just paying them, but taking care of their well-being in all forms is really, really important."

Jackman admitted that while filming "The Son," he had to contact a therapist due to the film's material. The actor explained that he had struggled with post-pandemic anxiety and losing his father in the middle of the project. He further emphasized the need to tackle the subject regardless of the amount of "shame" surrounding it.

The "Logan" actor added, "There is a real lack of knowledge and ignorance and shame around the subject, and I think it's something we need to confront, really, really quickly."

Jackson previously opened up about seeking help with his mental health in an interview with Who Magazine. There the actor revealed that he had suffered childhood trauma and that having someone not as involved was helpful. "Having someone really smart, who's a little bit removed from your world, can be really helpful," Jackman said.

Talking about its emphasis on depression, Zeller, the film's director, explained that rather than showing the cause of the mental state, he wanted to show it as it is. He told The Hollywood Reporter, "I think it's part of the issue with mental health; it's like a mystery. You cannot exactly understand why it's there. It could appear unfair, as there's no clear explanation and in a way, is no one's fault."

Laura Dern, who played Kate, the mother of Nicholas in the film, explained that "The Son" was being released at a time when people's mental health was at a serious low post-pandemic. "It's frightening," the actress said during "The Son" press conference in Venice.

"Even [when] you feel powerless, even when you feel alone in shame, guilt and blame, you can turn to so many who have been there before and may advise you. We all long to feel community in this larger conversation we must be having about mental health," Dern continued.