Hugh Jackman reminisces about his 'Coco the Clown' days at children's parties before Hollywood fame

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Before achieving stardom, Hugh Jackman explored an unexpected career path.

On the July 25 episode of 'Hot Ones,' the 55-year-old Hollywood star, alongside his 'Deadpool & Wolverine' co-star Ryan Reynolds, reminisced about his playful past as 'Coco the Clown,' a role he took on at children's parties before hitting it big.

Hugh Jackman's first big role after 'Coco the clown'

Shortly after graduating from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts in Perth in 1994, Hugh Jackman landed a role in the 10-part TV prison drama 'Correlli' (1995).

Jackman reflected with host Sean Evans on his whimsical early job, highlighting how it contrasted with his later iconic roles.

He recalled, "I literally rented a clown outfit, and my friend Stan and I went to birthday parties with absolutely no skills. We had zero skills."

Reynolds, 47, humorously added, "So they were basically robbing people, and that’s how they got away with it. They were robbing everyone."

Jackman then shared a memorable incident from his clowning days, “I broke my rule and took a gig at an eight-year-old’s party. I always knew they’d figure me out eventually, and sure enough, this kid did. He shouted to his mom, 'Mom, this clown is crap.' I was like, 'Shut up, kid, shut up.'"

He mentioned that one trick he could perform was juggling, so he carried eggs with him.

"I just reached in, grabbed the eggs, and said, 'Yeah, how about this?' Then I cracked one on my head," he added.

The eight-year-old boy found the performance amusing and continued to engage with it.

"I just kept cracking and then they just jumped on top of me, and that's it," the actor said. "50 bucks. Not worth it."

Hugh Jackman shared proof of his clowning career in 2015

According to People, a few years earlier in 2015, Hugh Jackman posted a photo of himself in his clown costume on social media, calling it "damning proof."

This isn’t the first time the 'Wolverine' actor has discussed his clowning career.

Jackman talked about it on 'The Howard Stern Show' in 2018, mentioning that he was a "good" clown for younger children, but struggled when they were older than three.

"So, at a three-year-old's birthday party, I was the best. You could climb on my head. I could juggle three things. I could juggle kind of anything, like swords, anything, for three," he explained. "But nothing more. No balloon animals. No magic tricks, nothing."

In the interview, Jackman referred to the eight-year-old's party as the "last gig I ever did."

"It ended up with the kids having the eggs, throwing them at me. And it was working. They loved it. And kicking the s**t out of me. Just like, I just let them dive on top, it’s was just a wrestling – it was pathetic," he said. "Really I was crap.  

In 'Deadpool & Wolverine,' which premiered on July 26, the titular characters make their highly anticipated return to the big screen within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.