Hugh Jackman says he is ‘still getting mud out of places’ after Robin Hood film

The 57-year-old actor stars as the heroic outlaw in writer and director Michael Sarnoski’s adaptation of the 17th-century ballad Robin Hood’s Death.

The film follows the outlaw as he grapples with his past after a life of crime and murder.

Filmed in Northern Ireland, Jackman said he jumped at the chance to film there but was left with an unexpected lasting memory of the experience.

Speaking to the Press Association, Jackman called filming in Northern Ireland “spectacular”.

“We were in Ireland, which I’d always dreamed of spending time in, and we went to the most beautiful places,” he said.

“Were some of them cold? Sure. Was there lots of mud and am I still getting mud out of various places? Sure. But it was totally worth it. It was one of the great shoots I’ve ever done. I loved it,” he added.

The film follows an older Robin Hood, gravely injured following a battle he thought would be his last, as he takes refuge in a priory, where he befriends a prioress, played by Jodie Comer, who offers him a chance at salvation.

Discussing taking on a grittier version of the English folklore character, Jackman said he read several books to get into character.

“I had a very specific idea of who Robin Hood was. I think I thought he was a real person. Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn’t,” he said.

“But as soon as I read the script, I thought it was such an interesting take on him, but I think it’s also a great sort of examination of the story itself, and the power of mythology, and I just loved that.”

Sarnoski – who has previously directed Nicolas Cage in Pig and Lupita Nyong’o in A Quiet Place: Day One – admitted it was “daunting” focusing on the darker side of the figure.

However, he added: “For a movie that deals with violence and meditation and these kind of spiritual sides of things… it was actually a lovely experience.

“It was my favourite filmmaking experience I’ve had so far in my career, and everyone was so supportive and really wanted to create this really specific take on the character.

“This is such a classic mythic character that you have a sort of duty to do justice to, but at the same time, every interpretation of him has been its own thing, and I think part of the fun was just being like, ‘You know what, we’re doing this version, and let’s have fun with it, and let’s bring everything and all the soul we can to it’.”

Filming on location was also an important part of the process for the filmmaker, who said he wanted the movie to feel “timeless”.

Sarnoski said: “We shot on location and we used very limited visual effects.

“I wanted it to feel like if you saw this movie, you wouldn’t be sure if it was made in like the 70s or nowadays because it is sort of this exploration of our relationship to this story, and making it feel kind of like outside of time was important to me.

“But then, beyond that, I was trying to conjure this sense of this place and these characters, and feeling like it was a world that feels lived in, and I believe in these characters that have real flesh and blood.

“Like I think shooting in these real places really helps sort of paint that picture.”

The Death Of Robin Hood is in cinemas on Wednesday, September 2.