Hugh Jackman says he is ‘grandson of an Ottoman, a Turk’

Savaş Özbey ISTANBUL

AFP Photo

World-renown Australian actor Hugh Jackman has said his grandfather was an Ottoman and he might “call myself a Turk.”

In an interview with daily Hürriyet, Jackman said his grandfather did not immigrate to Australia from Greece, but he did so from the Ottoman lands.

“My father and uncle went to the place where my grandfather immigrated from, and from what they say, that region which is in Greece today belonged to the Ottoman Empire at that time,” Jackman said.

“So I am the descendant of an Ottoman grandfather. Do not think that I’m saying this because I’m coming to Turkey, but I am a Turk. Yes, I think I may say that I’m a Turk.”

Jackman will be in Istanbul for four shows between March 17 and 20.

A Tony-Award-winning actor, renowned for his roles in movies such as ‘”Wolverine,” “X-Men,” “Les Misérables” and “Real Steel,” Jackman will perform his show “An Evening with Hugh Jackman,” which is a concert that also contains improvisations. He will be accompanied by dancers and an orchestra of 27 during the performance.

The one-man show features various segments, including tributes to classic movie musicals like “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Guys and Dolls,” as well as odes to the Aborigine culture of Jackman’s native Australia and Australian composer Peter Allen.

“The show I prepared for Turkey is a very personal one,” Jackman told Hürriyet.

“It includes song that matter to me, videos, stories from my life; segments of my previous shows. They are all personal things. I’m excited to share these with people outside the United Sates.”

Jackman also said he was a fan of Turkish cuisine and he would prepare Turkish coffee at home with his son.  “We can’t get the taste I remember from Turkey,” Jackman said.