He was also smart enough not to meddle: he watched, learned, and intervened only at key moments. He advocated for the casting of Australian musical-theater actor Hugh Jackman as Wolverine (aka Logan), even though he was considered too tall to play a character traditionally rendered as compact. The cast also included Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, and Patrick Stewart—but not Michael Jackson, who had lobbied the production team for the role of Professor Charles Xavier. When Shuler Donner reminded the pop star that Professor X was an old white guy, Jackson replied, “I can wear makeup
