Dafne Keen, who played the young mutant Laura in 2017’s “Logan,” says Hugh Jackman acted as a true father figure to her during the film’s production and shielded her from the pressures of a Hollywood set. The actress, now 21, made the remarks in an appearance on the podcast “Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum,” describing how Jackman looked after her while she was just 11 years old and filming her first major movie.
The most affecting thing about “Logan” was never the claws. It was the fragile bond between a worn-out Wolverine and the young mutant who followed him, a relationship that made the film feel more like a road trip drama than a superhero movie. That chemistry came from two very different performers: Jackman, a veteran closing out a signature role, and Keen, a child actor on a set full of adults. Keen said Jackman gave her plenty of positive reinforcement and good advice, and that he made her feel looked after throughout the long shoot.
Keen explained that Jackman made sure nobody was abusing her hours, that she was having fun, and that she was kept unaware of any tensions behind the scenes. “He was so incredibly protective,” she said. She also called him the best onscreen dad and said he was always lovely. “He gave me a lot of really positive reinforcement and a lot of really good advice,” she said. “He was always so lovely. He’s just the best number one you could ever wish for.” “He’s the best on-screen dad. He genuinely felt like a sort of parental figure.” “He made sure no one was abusing my hours and that I was having fun on set.” “He made sure I wasn’t aware of any tensions happening behind the scenes.”
Audition sparks lasting bond
Keen went through roughly six auditions before a screen test with Jackman, and she has said she was more anxious about how much she loved the character than about the audition itself. Jackman has told his own version of how she won him over: he has said she landed the part after punching him in the arm so hard during her first audition that he was bruised the next day. That fearless energy appears to have set the tone for a friendship that lasted well beyond the shoot.
Dafne Keen Says Hugh Jackman Was Like A Real Father Figure And Made Sure She Was Protected On The Set Of Logan Dafne Keen: “He gave me a lot of really positive reinforcement and a lot of really good advice.” “He was always so lovely. He’s just the best number one you could ever… pic.twitter.com/Cem8pMBVF8”
The father-daughter feeling was not limited to protection. Jackman was preparing for “The Greatest Showman” at the time, and Keen, a trained dancer and acrobat who loved musicals as a kid, said the two were constantly dancing and singing on set. At an earlier fan convention panel, she described the experience in similar terms, saying Jackman was like a dad to her and that making “Logan” felt like a road trip. She also said he took her to a water park, adding another warm detail to a production that was often grim on screen.
Why the bond still matters
The praise comes from a wide-ranging conversation in which Keen also opened up about harder parts of growing up in the industry. She said she was offered cocaine at wrap parties as a very young child and had no interest in it, which makes her description of a protective co-star stand out even more.
Her account also helps explain why the pair’s reunion in “Deadpool & Wolverine” carried so much weight. Keen has said she was terrified the dynamic would not work anymore after so many years apart, and she has described the reunion with a different version of Logan as heartbreaking. Jackman had hung up the claws after “Logan,” and Keen has said he was adamant on set that he was finished with the role. He was eventually convinced to step back into the suit for “Deadpool & Wolverine,” while Keen returned as Laura after director James Mangold asked about her reprising the role. For fans, the reunion felt like a bonus chapter for one of the genre’s most emotional duos, reinforcing the idea that their real-life bond was every bit as strong as the one on screen.
Since her breakout, Keen has played Lyra in “His Dark Materials” and Jecki Lon in “The Acolyte,” and she starred in the horror film “Whistle.” She is still best known as Laura, though, and the way she speaks about Jackman shows how much that first role shaped her as both an actress and a person.
On her recent appearance on the “Inside of You Podcast”, Dafne Keen expressed gratitude towards Hugh Jackman for being like a father figure to her. The two starred in ‘Logan’ when Keen was just 11 years old. Keen shared in the interview that she was often surrounded by bad… pic.twitter.com/21grMDco9P
"Logan" star Dafne Keen says Hugh Jackman "made sure that no one was abusing my hours" on set when she was 11 years old. “[Hugh Jackman] gave me a lot of really positive reinforcement and a lot of really good advice. And he was always so lovely. He’s the best number one you… pic.twitter.com/I2DOOxkebM”
