Hugh Jackman wasn’t available to make an appearance on The Residence, but the Netflix still found a way to include him — but how did two different actors pull it off?
In the eight-part murder mystery, which started streaming on Thursday, March 20, a detective has to find who killed someone during a state dinner in the White House. The entire event revolves around the U.S. mending their rocky relationship with Australia, which meant iconic Australian celebrities such as Kylie Minogue and Jackman, 56, made appearances at the dinner.
Minogue, 56, appeared onscreen multiple times after playing a version of herself.
“She started off as frankly a smaller part,” series creator Paul William Davies told TVLine on Thursday. “When she agreed to do it, I figured it would be for the minimum amount [of time], but she was totally game to do more, so I wrote more for her.”
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He continued: “She really had a great experience, and we loved working with her. She’s funny, she’s got great timing and she was really a great presence on set.”
But while Minogue graced our screens, Jackman clearly did not. He was referenced in nearly every episode but was only seen from behind. In fact, it was quite obvious that The Residence didn’t actually cast Jackman so they used different actors to commit to the bit and give off the illusion that he was there all night tap dancing, taking naps in the White House and more.
“We did try [to cast him], and he responded in a way that was very sweet and apologetic,” Davies revealed to TVLine. “And he has nothing to apologize for. He’s Hugh Jackman! He’s busy. It just didn’t work.”
Davies noted that the show “quickly pivoted” to Ben Bigler and Justin Ellis Johnson playing Jackman, adding, “I thought, you know what, I’ll do this in a way that’s fun and kind of leans into it. It was a bit of a gamble, but I had fun with it, and I think we all kind of just embraced it.”
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Inspired by The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Andersen Brower, the eight-part series kept Us on the edge of our seats as renowned detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) was tasked with finding out who is responsible for the Chief Usher’s death (Giancarlo Esposito) at the White House.
The Residence was a star-studded series with Susan Kelechi Watson, Jason Lee, Ken Marino, Edwina Findley, Randall Park and Molly Griggs appearing as well. Al Mitchell, Dan Perrault, Spencer Garrett, Bronson Pinchot, Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Mary Wiseman are just some of the other stars in a show riddled with new characters.
The Residence is currently streaming on Netflix.
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