Hugh Jackman was a guest on NBC’s TODAY on Wednesday and ended up agreeing to co-host the show. Kind of.
Even though Jackman and the permanent co-host Matt Lauer shook hands to seal the deal, while a giggly Savannah Guthrie cheered Hugh on, the deal was all part of some cajoling on the part of the Aussie.
He was in Studio B on Wednesday morning to promote his new drama Prisoners, and while they introduced him in the upcoming segment, Jackman decided to photobomb the anchors.
After a back and forth in which Hugh Jackman actually came up to the desk and joked around with Lauer and Guthrie, he agreed to co-host the show for Lauer.
While discussing his new film, Jackman shared that at one point in his life he thought of becoming a journalist because he grew up watching talk shows.
So Matt Lauer offered him a position as a guest anchor, to which the actor responded, “I like it, yes, I’m in! Deal.”
Hugh Jackman shared with Matt Lauer,
“I actually graduated with a major in journalism, and when I was thinking about going into it, I realized that I’d be bad at it. I could probably do half of your job, the traveling bit, the easy interviews. But when it came to the tougher interviews, I’m just gullible, I just believe people.”
Lauer clarified, “I want to be clear about this: Guest host with me, not Savannah.”
Guthrie had been “gushing” ever since announcing Hugh Jackman’s appearance and was looking over at him “dreamily”.
The handsome Aussie had one requirement of is new gig,
“Could we finish at 9?” he asked. Matt Lauer assured him that he could finish early.
Of his film Prisoners, Hugh Jackman told Lauer that it’s a “primal thing”, the need to protect our children, about his role as the father of a kidnapped girl.
