The actor opened up to Bilt founder Ankur Jain about working with the ‘Spider-Man’ star
Hugh Jackman is one of Zendaya’s biggest fans.
Jackman, a Global Citizen ambassador, opened up about working with her on The Greatest Showman during a recent conversation with Bilt founder Ankur Jain.
“I remember on day one saying, ‘This young woman is going to be the biggest star of her generation,’ ” Jackman, 57, told Jain, while playing “Rent Free,” which gives away free rent to Bilt members, in promotion of Global Citizen and Bilt’s partnership with them.
Jackman went on to explain that Zendaya had a flawless first take on her very first day. However, he added that director Michael Gracey asked for a second take from him, costar Zac Efron and Zendaya.
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“I pulled him aside and said ‘What are you doing, her first take was amazing,’ and he said, ‘I know but I didn’t want to embarrass you or Zac so I thought I’d make her do more than one take.’ ”
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On September 26, Jackman will host the Global Citizen Festival on Central Park’s Great Lawn — this year’s campaign is working to get 2 million children into school, support 1.5 million smallholder farmers, and bring electricity to 2.5 million homes.
Global Citizen co-founder Hugh Evans said in a statement, “Ending extreme poverty has never been the work of a few large donors. It’s millions of people choosing to act, over and over.”
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Meanwhile, Jackman has also enjoyed a lowkey summer of romance and music with his girlfriend Sutton Foster.
In July, the couple was spotted in North Carolina, where they enjoyed time away from the city together, a source previously told PEOPLE.
Not long after, the duo also took to the stage to perform “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman at the Tanglewood music festival in Massachusetts, on August 14.

“We know what we’re going to do,” Jackman told the crowd, before bringing Sutton to the stage. “Okay, so, we’re going to sing something for you that we have sung together before many years ago, before The Music Man.” (The duo starred in The Music Man on Broadway in 2022.)
The following day, Jackman posted a series of snaps from the event on his Instagram.
“Last night was a blast! My heart is full. Thank you ALL for choosing to spend the evening with us,” he wrote.