SARAH KARACSsarah.karacs@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 29 September, 2015, 12:00am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 29 September, 2015, 12:00am
Hugh Jackman signs autographs as he greets his fans in Times Square. Photos: Jonathan Wong
Hollywood star Hugh Jackman professed his love for Hong Kong's energy and cuisine, promising to sample a mooncake during a visit to promote his latest film.
Speaking to a gushing crowd of fans in Times Square, Causeway Bay, the 46-year-old Australian said that although he had just flown in from New York, the lively spirit of the city meant he wasn't feeling the least bit tired.
"I love this city, I've been here three or four times now and the people are always so friendly and the food is out of this world," he said between blowing kisses to the hoards of teenage girls and women waving frantically at him.
"It is just like New York," he added, as cars honking in the busy roads adjacent to the square threatened to drown out his words.
He squeezed in time for a quick selfie with the crowd, saying he hoped his two children living in the US would see his snaps on photo-sharing app Instagram.
Hugh Jackman greets fans and takes 'selfie' with fans.Fawning fans were particularly pleased to hear the star of countless Hollywood blockbusters master simple Cantonese phrases, including "hello", "thank you" and "welcome to Neverland".
Though clean-shaven in Hong Kong, Jackman has swapped his signature on-screen sideburns as X-Mencharacter "Wolverine" for a dastardly moustache and goatee combo in new fantasy flick Pan, based on the classic fairytale about the pirate-bashing boy Peter of Neverland.
Jackman plays Blackbeard in Pan.Jackman plays Blackbeard, a pirate whom Peter Pan must vanquish alongside his ally James Hook in a film about the adventures of the Neverland characters before we meet them in the original story by writer J. M. Barrie.
"Who doesn't want to be a pirate?" Jackman joked to the crowd, describing the joys of taking part in a "pirate bootcamp" in which actors spent a week learning to fight with swords and other seafaring pursuits in order to prepare for the film.
Jackman also took part in the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival fire dragon dance in neighbouring Tai Hang - the first time an international star has joined in the historic event.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1862200/x-men-star-hugh-jackman-relishes-hong-kongs
