'Real Steel': Hugh Jackman Talks Robot Boxing, Possible Sequel (Video)

Real Steel stars Hugh Jackman as Charlie, an out-of-work boxer who decides to find work in the new popular sport of robot boxing. At the same time, Charlie is tasked with taking care of his estranged son, and soon the father and son team are working together to build a champion bot.

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Many of Jackman’s co-stars emphasized how nice of an actor the X-Men star is, but in the film his character starts out down on his luck and a little unlikable. Was that difficult for Jackman to play?

“It was great playing Charlie,” Jackman told The Hollywood Reporter at the premiere red carpet event. “I know people like Charlie, and I kind of have a feeling that all of us can be a little like Charlie. If we get knocked down on the wrong time in your life, you can stop believing in the world around you.”

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The robot stars of the film were brought to life through a combination of animatronic bots and motion capture. However, Jackman emphasized that Real Steel, which is Dreamworks production for Disney, is really a human story. He said his entire family loved it.

“I saw it with my mother-in-law, my wife, and my kids at the same screening, and they were all crying at one point, laughing, and they really got into it,” said Jackman.

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Disney and DreamWorks have been pushing a large marketing campaign for the film, even teaming up with Virgin America to get an airplane named after the film. Jackman also stopped by WWE Raw to promote the film.  

There has already been talks that a sequel is in the works, even before the release of Real Steel. Appropriately, Jackman used a sport analogy to explain what that felt like to him.

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“Imagine asking a football player the night before the Super Bowl if they’ll make the Super Bowl next year. It’s a bit like that,” said Jackman.

Jackman stars with Lost’s Evangeline Lilly and Dakota Goya, who plays Charlie’s son in the film. Real Steel opens in theaters on Friday, October 7.