Hugh Jackman says he never used steroids to play Wolverine; reveals 'Deadpool 3' timeline

You don't get to be the most famous mutant in the world by cheating. Hugh Jackman recently shot down a longstanding rumor that he took steroids to play the jacked-up role of James Howlett/Logan/Wolverine in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film franchise.

"No," he said on a recent episode of Who's Talking to Chris Wallace? (via HBO Max). "I love my job and I love Wolverine. I gotta be careful what I say here, but I had been told, anecdotally, what the side effects are of that and I was like, 'I don't love it that much.' So no, I just did it the old school way and I tell ya — I've eaten more chickens...I'm so sorry to all the vegans and the vegetarians and to the chickens of the world. The karma's not good for me. If the deity has anything related to chickens, I'm in trouble."

Jackman will don the Adamantium claws one last time in the third Deadpool movie, which will introduce Ryan Reynolds' Merc with a Mouth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Nov. 8, 2024. "We like to call it 'Wolverine 10.' That's what we call it in our house," Jackman joked.

With Marvel Studios' current focus on the infinite possibilities of the multiverse, anything — even a resurrection — is possible in the upcoming film, which is being directed by Shawn Levy, who has worked with both Reynolds and Jackman in the the past. 

"This story is pre-Logan," Jackman revealed to Wallace. "Honestly, Chris, I really thought I was done. I was at peace with it." He decided to return after realizing that the rivalry between Deadpool and Wolverine in the comics offered an opportunity to explore "a dynamic that I never really got to do before as Wolverine," he added, comparing it to the relationship between Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte in 48 Hrs.

"The fast-mouthed, wisecracking guy and the grizzled, old, tough, acerbic, vinegar-y character. I just thought, 'This is gonna be fun, something I've never done before — and I can't wait.'" To prepare for this final go-around on the Marvel circuit, the actor took off six months to do two things: train and spend time with his family. "That's gonna be my job for six months. I'm really fit right now ... I'm healthy, I have a good place to start and...apologies, chickens. Run a mile. Start running now because I'm coming for you."

"I’ll just say that to be developing and prepping this movie that has this iconic duo together in an entire movie for the first time — a pairing between Hugh and Ryan, Wolverine and Deadpool. [It's] very much a pairing that the world has waited for for over a decade, [and] I’m the lucky son of a b**** who gets to tell a story about that pair," Levy told SYFY WIRE last month. "The potential is so rich and every day that we work on the screenplay, there are ideas that we didn’t anticipate that appear because you’re talking about the ultimate Marvel icon and the ultimate Marvel iconoclast."

Looking for more science fiction adventure? Check out SYFY's Resident Alien streaming on Peacock.