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Stars like Jackman, who featured in the "X-Men"
series, normally get bombarded with requests to take on new
roles, but he said he felt he had to take the initiative when he
read the script of Zeller's "The Son", which was originally a
stage play.
"I said 'I don't know if you are dancing with anyone else. I am
not the kind of person to cut in on a dance, but if you are not,
I would love to play the part'," Jackman told reporters ahead of
the movie's world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
"When I read "The Son" it was a feeling like a fire in my gut.
It was a compulsion," he added.
Zeller, a French playwright and novelist who wowed the film
world with his 2020 feature debut "The Father", said he was
"touched" by Jackman's humility and organised an initial Zoom
call with him during the COVID lockdown.
"I was not planning to make any decision and after eight minutes
I offered him the part," he said.
The film shows divorced parents, played by Jackman and Laura
Dern, desperately struggling to deal with the mental breakdown
of their 17-year-old son, played by newcomer Zen McGrath.
"Every parent can relate to being terrified about what the hell
to do," said Jackman, who has two children.
"Since this movie I have changed my approach. I share my
vulnerabilities more with my 17- and 22-year-olds. I see their
relief when I do," he said.
Thinking they are doing the best for their son, the mother and
father make matters much worse for him, highlighting how many
families are incapable of dealing with the growing scourge of
mental health problems.
Research has shown how the COVID emergency has accelerated an
already serious problem, with the prolonged lockdown weighing
heavily on the stability of adolescents around the world.
One recent survey found more than a third of high school
students surveyed in the United States experienced stress,
anxiety or depression, and nearly a fifth said they seriously
considered suicide during the pandemic.
"This mental health issue is a crisis everywhere in the world.
No one is immune to it," said Jackman. "This is something that
we need to talk about and come together on," he said.
"The Son" is one of 23 films competing for the main Golden Lion
award which will be handed out on Sept. 10.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
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