Hugh Jackman met his wife in 1995 on a set and they have been together since. They have traveled the world together, have two kids, and truly enjoy their journey together. And it's because of this one decision they made.
For some people, finding the right person takes a lifetime. And for some others, finding "the one" might only take as less as two weeks, which is what happened to Hugh Jackman. Apart from being an amazing actor, Jackman, 50, is a devoted husband too who has been happily married for 23 years with actress Deborra-Lee Furness, 63, and it took him only 14 days to know she was the one. They have two children Oscar, 18, and Ava, 13.
They met on the set of Australian drama Corelli in 1995 and in two weeks he knew that she was the one. The Greatest Showman actor proposed to her within four months of dating, according to Hello Magazine. The actor thinks that having known each other before he became a global star helped their relationship. They have been able to travel to exotic locations before having kids and doubling down on the work front.
But, what is the key ingredient to one of the longest and successful marriages in Hollywood? "Before we had kids, Deb and I made a pretty simple but powerful choice to look each other in the eye at every crossroads in life. Those crossroads are sometimes big, sometimes they're small, sometimes you don't even realise they're crossroads until you look back," he wrote in the book The Father Hood: Inspiration for the New Dad Generation, published by WHO magazine.
"But at those moments, we said we'd ask each other, 'Is this good or bad for our marriage?' Or, now that we've got kids, 'Is this good or bad for our family?' And as often as possible, we do the thing that is good for our family," he added.
The couple tried having kids and after struggling through a couple of miscarriages and in vitro fertilization, when it didn't happen they chose to adopt, according to PEOPLE. Two years ago, the former Wolverine actor was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a kind of skin cancer. He has gone through multiple surgeries for it too, according to Daily Mail. The couple has gone through moments of hardship and joy together and sailed through it all.
It also helps when you find the right person, he told TODAY in 2018. The actor-turned-entrepreneur believes that it is important to find someone with whom you can be yourself at all times. "When you’re dating, you literally put on the best version of yourself," said Jackman. "When you get on the dance floor, you’re like, all right, I am pulling out my best moves here, I am doing my best lines, I have got my best clothes on. How do you transition from that person to actually truly being yourself? The tracksuit pant version of yourself."
The actor gave the advice that unless your partner sees you as an ordinary person with whom they can be comfortable "you don't really know if you’re right together." Talking about his relationship, the Les Miserables actor said, "So literally from day one, Deb and I had that feeling. It was like a relief. I could just be myself. I am not saying we don't ever dress up or impress each other, but being comfortable is a key."
At each point in their relationship, they have made intentional decisions to preserve what they have. His wife was an established actress before him, so when they became serious about each other, the Aussie actress made some rules to keep their relationship strong and he followed them. "We are not going to spend more than two weeks apart, and we are not going to work at the same time if we don’t have to financially. So, one of us is always there to support the other. And we have maintained that for … well next month is 22 years," he said a year ago.
In 2019, they have completed 23 years together and this journey has taken them from being successful actors in Australia to his worldwide fame, from being a couple to being parents. Jackman was quoted by PEOPLE as saying that fatherhood has taught him a lot. "When your focus is innately, deeply, one hundred percent become these kids in your life and their well being it just seems to put everything into perspective. Being a father has taught me so much," he said.
Jackman is unlike many Hollywood actors since he's as much a showman as a family man.
References:
https://people.com/movies/hugh-jackman-relationship-with-his-teenage-children-has-changed/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4225482/Explained-Hugh-Jackman-s-cancer.html
https://www.pressreader.com/australia/who/20190819/281590947189122
https://www.today.com/popculture/hugh-jackman-reveals-secrets-his-21-year-marriage-t125014
https://people.com/parents/hugh-jackman-wife-deb-adoption-after-miscarriages-ivf/
