Hugh Jackman Reveals Who Convinced Him To Retire As Wolverine

Actor Hugh Jackman has been playing the Wolverine character for 17 years, but after 10 movies, the run is expected to end with Logan, which hits theaters on Friday. Now, Jackman has revealed that it was comedian Jerry Seinfeld who convinced him to say goodbye to the character.

Appearing on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Jackman said he approached the Seinfeld cocreator two years ago to ask for his advice about potentially leaving Wolverine behind. Seinfeld shared his own philosophy with Jackman--and it resonated strongly, so much so that Jackman just hours later decided to say goodbye.

"He said, 'Look, when you creating something, it's very important not to run yourself dry. It's not about finishing on top necessarily, but making sure that you are creatively still have something left, which propels you into whatever is next,'" Jackman recalled.

"I went home and I said, 'This is it; this is the last one.' And then the next morning, I wake up at 4 in the morning, and I record into a voice memo because I had this really strong idea for what to do for the last one; and that's like two years ago."

Jackman also talks about how he thought Logan studio Fox would say no to the movie. He doesn't expand on this in the Fallon interview, but Fox's Stacey Snider said recently that some believed the movie was too serious. Additionally, it's rated R, compared to PG-13 for the earlier Wolverine movies. Jackman reportedly took a pay cut to secure the Restricted rating.

But Logan is happening, and it comes out soon, arriving on March 3. Reviews have been very strong, with GameSpot's Randolph Ramsay calling it a must-see and the best X-Men movie ever.

Also in the Fallon interview, Jackman teased that Logan will end in dramatic fashion.

"There's no living with the killing; it has to have a price," Jackman said about his character. "[Logan] is violent, but it has something to say about violence. There are ramifications."

In a second video piece, Jackman enjoys a massive bowl of pasta prepared by none other than world-renowned chef Mario Batali to celebrate the fact that he no longer has to stay in shape, apparently.

This story has been updated.