It happened when the actor recorded a special message for Plymouth
Hugh Jackman attend the “Song Sung Blue” BAFTA Screening(Image: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for BAFTA)
Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman seemingly confused Plymouth with Portsmouth while sharing a special video message about his latest film, Song Sung Blue.
The Australian actor recorded the heartfelt ‘thank you’ message to the team at the city’s Cineworld cinema and the people of Plymouth for coming together to watch the film which is based on a true story about two down-on-their-luck musicians (Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson) who form a joyous Neil Diamond tribute band, proving it’s never too late to find love.
In the video message, which was shared to Cineworld Plymouth’s Facebook page, Jackman can be seen sitting on a sofa in front of a camera as he says: “Hi everyone there in Plymouth.
“Thank you so much for coming to the cinema to watch Song Sung Blue, it means a lot to me, I’m very proud of the film.
“But that’s not why I’m here, I’m here to thank you for coming to the cinema itself and for showing up.
“For Sarah Chinnock, who is the theatre manager there, and all her staff, this means the world to them and this movie is very much about how we show up as a community and that’s exactly what you’re doing.”
In a well-intended anecdote, Jackman then recalled swimming in the sea in “Plymouth” during the opening scene of the 2012 hit film Les Misérables.
He said: “So, thanks again for being here. I hope you’ve had a great Christmas, I hope you have a fantastic new year and I remember swimming in that water [in Plymouth].
“If you see the opening of Les Mis, you will recognise that water and I remember being there at this time of year, February, wooh.
“So yeah, check it out. Go down and sing a bit of Les Mis in the water, then we’ll have something in common.”
However, the scene was actually filmed in the No.9 Dock at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, where Jean Valjean (Jackman) and a cohort of convicts can be seen pulling a ship into the docks under the watchful eye of Inspector Javert (Russell Crowe).
The mix-up was pointed out by a couple of commenters on the post but in reply, Cineworld Plymouth wrote: “We knew some people would notice! We think Les Mis would have been even better if it opened with Hugh in the Plymouth Sound!”