Hugh Jackman Knew He'd Marry Deborra-Lee Furness, Even When She Tried To Dump Him
Despite life's many uncertainties, Hugh Jackman is 100% sure about one thing — he chose the right partner with his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness. The renowned star of the "X-Men" franchise was confident that he would marry Furness as soon as he met her. Jackman and the producer first crossed paths through the TV series "Corelli" in 1995. While it has been decades since they got together, Jackman can still vividly remember how he felt upon meeting Furness.
The actor recalled, in a 2018 interview with Today: "I knew two weeks into meeting Deb that we were going to be together for the rest of our lives." Since he was so sure about her, Jackman boldly confessed his feelings for Furness at a party hosted at his house. When the two were finally alone, the actor informed People, "I said, 'I got a crush on you. I'll get over it, I'm sorry,' She goes, 'Oh? Because I've got a crush on you too.' I never in a million years thought she reciprocated."
Although Jackman was already convinced he'd met the one for him, Furness initially harbored doubts. In fact, the "Greatest Showman" star admitted during a joint interview with her on the "Aussies in Hollywood With Jenny Cooney" podcast, "She kind of [broke up with me], a little bit. Early on, three weeks in. I managed to talk her out of it, thank God." Furness apparently had different priorities at the time.
Furness was not ready for a relationship
When asked about her initial hesitations, Deborra-Lee Furness acknowledged they were rooted in the pact she had made to herself as a New Year's Resolution: "I said, 'I am not dating any actors, and definitely not under 30." Furness also wasn't looking for anything serious since she was trying to make it in the industry. But, fate had other plans. Thankfully, Hugh Jackman was able to convince her to continue their relationship after she realized how serious he was — as the beloved star quipped, his lack of indecision elsewhere worked to his advantage, per People — and they have been together ever since.
Aside from their romantic relationship, Jackman also noted that nobody compares to his wife as an onscreen partner, confirming to Jenny Cooney, "The best experience I ever had, working with another actor [was with Deborra] ... There was a chemistry ... and every time we had a scene together it was unbelievable." Jackman has praised his wife in many interviews over the years, and during his 2016 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," he gushed about her once again.
"Obviously, she's the greatest thing that ever happened to me ... And it gets better and better," the A-list star enthused (via YouTube). Certainly, this has to be one of the sweetest things a celebrity has said about their partner. Jackman further emphasized Furness' impact on his life when he pointed out, "Everything that's ever happened in my career — on screen, off screen — we've always done it together."
The secret to their long-lasting marriage
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness have been together since 1995, tying the knot on April 11, 1996. Fans are understandably curious about what Jackman's marriage is really like but, luckily for us, the Aussie actor has been very open about his, by all accounts, lovely relationship with Furness. During his Today interview, for instance, Jackman insisted that it's not necessary to always go out of your way to look your best for each other, and stressed the importance of both partners feeling at ease and comfortable together.
As Jackman argued, "You want to be fully seen and you want to be able to fully see them for exactly who [they] really are. And Deb and I had that from the beginning." Furness also shared that despite their busy schedules, they made a pact to ensure they'd never be apart for too long, telling Australia's ABC, "He's been really greedy on the work front so yeah we have kept it actually. We've never had more than two weeks apart."
Plus, Jackman works hard to keep their romance alive, even if it means resorting to old-school methods while he's on location, for example. As Furness confessed, "He's very romantic as in he, he's very present and he's very generous and does all that romantic stuff of writing letters." Jackman has two adopted children with Furness, named Oscar and Ava. Even though they keep things private, it's clear these two are end-game.