Hugh Jackman Talks Mud and Magic Filming The Death of Robin Hood in Northern Ireland

Hugh Jackman is embracing the physical toll of his latest role, admitting he is still finding mud in unexpected places after wrapping production on The Death of Robin Hood. The 57-year-old actor stars as the heroic outlaw in the upcoming adaptation directed by Michael Sarnoski.

Filming took place on location in Northern Ireland, a setting Jackman told the Press Association he had long dreamed of experiencing. While acknowledging the harsh weather and demanding conditions, the actor maintained that the chilly, muck-heavy shoot ranked among his career highlights.

“We were in Ireland, which I’d always dreamed of spending time in, and we went to the most beautiful places,” Jackman told the Press Association. “Were some of them cold? Sure. Was there lots of mud and am I still getting mud out of various places? Sure. But it was totally worth it. It was one of the great shoots I’ve ever done. I loved it.”

Based on the 17th-century ballad Robin Hood’s Death, Sarnoski’s film centers on an aging version of the legendary figure. The narrative finds the protagonist gravely injured after a battle he expected to be his last, seeking refuge in a priory. There, he crosses paths with a prioress portrayed by Jodie Comer, who introduces a potential path toward salvation following a lifetime defined by crime and violence.

Preparation for the gritty reinvention involved diving deep into historical folklore. Jackman noted that he read several books prior to filming to establish his perspective on the character.

“I had a very specific idea of who Robin Hood was. I think I thought he was a real person. Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn’t,” Jackman said. “As soon as I read the script, I thought it was such an interesting take on him, but I think it’s also a great sort of examination of the story itself, and the power of mythology, and I just loved that.”

Director Michael Sarnoski, whose previous credits include Pig starring Nicolas Cage and A Quiet Place: Day One starring Lupita Nyong’o, acknowledged that tackling such a well-known folklore figure carried inherent pressure. Sarnoski described the task of focusing on the darker, more spiritual dimensions of the outlaw as daunting yet fulfilling.

“For a movie that deals with violence and meditation and these kind of spiritual sides of things… it was actually a lovely experience,” Sarnoski told the Press Association. “It was my favourite filmmaking experience I’ve had so far in my career, and everyone was so supportive and really wanted to create this really specific take on the character.”

To maintain an authentic atmosphere, the production relied heavily on practical locations rather than digital effects. Sarnoski emphasized a desire to craft a picture that felt detached from a specific decade, drawing inspiration from filmmaking styles of past eras.

“We shot on location and we used very limited visual effects,” Sarnoski said. “I wanted it to feel like if you saw this movie, you wouldn’t be sure if it was made in like the 70s or nowadays because it is sort of this exploration of our relationship to this story, and making it feel kind of like outside of time was important to me.”

The Death of Robin Hood is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on Wednesday, September 2.