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Image: Hugh Jackman
Lisa Maree Williams  /  Getty Images file
Hugh Jackman says his wife doesn't like it when his body is more fit than hers.
updated 10/3/2011 10:53:18 AM ET 2011-10-03T14:53:18

The world might ogle Hugh Jackman's super-fit physique, but his biggest fan of all doesn't like it when he's too muscular.

"[My wife Deborra-Lee Furness is] always upset with me if I'm in really good shape," the 42-year-old "X-Men" star told Australia's News.com.au. "She's like, 'I think you're forgetting the contract of marriage -- ultimately everything is about me looking better, so enough with the training."

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Jackman said Furness, 55, prefers him rough instead of buff. "Let me give you a little insight into my wife," he said. "I met her on a prison drama where I had tats all over my body and a mullet, and that turned her on. She likes the bad boys."

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"Overall, Deb would say to me my job is to be out of shape so that she can look as good as possible," Jackman added. The duo have been married for 15 years and have two children together: Ava, 6, and Oscar, 11.

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But the "Real Steel" star admitted to the October issue of Men's Fitness that he mainly works out because it's part of his job. "I don't really enjoy training. People say it's addictive, but I'm like, 'Not so much,'" he explained. "If I weren't getting paid or didn't have a character like Wolverine to maintain, I would just be a tall, lean, fit guy."

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Copyright 2012 Us Weekly

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Photos: Hugh Jackman

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  1. Ripped for action

    With his claws out, Hugh Jackman is seen in an official photo from his upcoming film "The Wolverine" in September 2012. (20th Century Fox) Back to slideshow navigation
  2. Dollars make sense

    Jackman and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard appear on the set of the movie "The Wolverine" in Sydney on July 24, 2012. News that the Australian government had provided a $13.5 million grant for the X-men comics film spin-off sent a ripple of excitement through local production houses which are hoping it paves the way for more major productions in Australia. (Torsten Blackwood / AFP - Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  3. Man of the stage

    Jackman accepts a special award onstage at the 66th Annual Tony Awards at The Beacon Theatre in New York on June 10, 2012. (Andrew H. Walker / WireImage for Tony Awards Produc) Back to slideshow navigation
  4. He's back

    Jackman takes his opening night curtain call in "Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway" at Broadhurst Theatre in New York on Nov. 10, 2011. (Bruce Glikas / FilmMagic) Back to slideshow navigation
  5. Family affair

    Jackman is joined by Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly and Olga Fonda at the premiere of their movie "Real Steel" in Universal City, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  6. 'Real Steel'

    In 2011's "Real Steel," Jackman stars as a boxing promoter who must adjust to a world in which giant robots now do the fighting. () Back to slideshow navigation
  7. Soaking up the Sydney sun

    Jackman, seen on Sept. 27, 2011, in Sydney, was born in Australia to English parents. After his parents divorced when he was eight, his mother returned to England but he stayed Down Under with his father and siblings. (Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  8. Put up your dukes

    Jackman attends the unveiling of Virgin Airlines' "Real Steel"-themed plane on Sept. 23, 2011, in Los Angeles. (Valerie Macon / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  9. Stunt gone wrong

    Oprah Winfrey interviews Jackman during the second taping of the "Oprah Winfrey Show" at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 14, 2010. Jackman slammed his face into a lighting rig while performing a stunt upon entering the show via a zipline. (Lisa Maree Williams / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  10. Up and away

    Jackman makes his aerial entrance on a zipline from the roof of the Sydney Opera House during the filming of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Dec. 14, 2010. "That was so much fun, until the end,' the actor joked after crash landing. (Torsten Blackwood / AFP - Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  11. Help from another leading man

    Actors Gerard Butler, left, and Jackman attend The Global Poverty Project's launch of their DVD "1.4 Billion Reasons," in New York on Oct. 20, 2010. Jackman kicked off the event aimed at presenting a logical, straightforward account of global poverty in today's developing nations. (Peter Kramer / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  12. Jazz hands!

    Jackman shoots a commercial for Lipton tea in downtown Montevideo, Uruguay, on Oct. 6, 2010. Jackman visited the Central Park Stadium where a soccer match was played between Nacional and Liverpool. He wore the shirt of Nacional and received two membership cards, one with his name and one for his "X-Men" character, Wolverine. (Miguel Rojo / AFP - Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  13. Bonding with Bond

    Actors Daniel Craig, left, and Jackman take their bows at the curtain call for the Broadway opening performance of "A Steady Rain" in New York on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009. (Evan Agostini / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  14. Arriving in style

    Jackman arrives at the premiere of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" at the Harkins Theatres at Tempe Marketplace on Monday, April 27, 2009, in Tempe, Ariz. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  15. Sinking his hands into Hollywood

    Jackman places his hands in cement during a ceremony outside Grauman's Mann Chinese Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 21, 2009. "It's a very humbling moment as an actor to be here. You look down at the names, from Fred Astaire to Cary Grant, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Steve McQueen, John Wayne, and to think that those people have been immortalized," Jackman said. (Nick Ut / AP) Back to slideshow navigation
  16. Mousing around

    Jackman, his wife Deborra Lee Furness, and children Oscar and Ava pose with Mickey Mouse outside Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland on Thursday, April 23, 2009, in Anaheim, Calif. (Disneyland via Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  17. Putting the claws back on

    Jackman unleashes his adamantium claws in a scene from "Wolverine." "This is a little embarrassing but I'm a little more of a wuss in real life -- obviously (more) than my character," Jackman recently told msnbc.com. (20th Century Fox) Back to slideshow navigation
  18. The host with the most

    Jackman and singer Beyonce Knowles perform on stage during the 81st Annual Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, in Los Angeles. Jackman received high praise for his hosting duties. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  19. Mr. Sexy

    Jackman, People's 2008 Sexiest Man Alive, is a romantic in a hard body who leaves women saying "Oh ... my ... God." (People) Back to slideshow navigation
  20. Down Under duty

    Jackman and fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman co-star in Baz Luhrmann's epic romantic adventure movie "Australia." (20th Century Fox) Back to slideshow navigation
  21. A rat's life

    "Flushed Away," tells the story of an uptown rat, Roddy (voiced by Jackman) who gets flushed down the toilet from his penthouse apartment, ending in the sewers of London, where he has to learn a whole new way of life. (Dreamworks) Back to slideshow navigation
  22. Magic man

    In "The Prestige," Jackman stars as one of two young stage magicians who begin their feud when one of their wives dies during a magic trick. From this moment on, their lives become webs of deceit and exposure, secrets and revelations, as they feud to outwit and destroy one another. Their rivalry takes them both to the peak of their careers, but with terrible consequences. Scarlett Johansson co-stars. (Buena Vista Pictures) Back to slideshow navigation
  23. On a quest

    What if you could live forever? The 2006 film, "The Fountain" is an odyssey about one man's eternal struggle to save the woman he loves. His epic journey begins in 16th-century Spain, where conquistador Tomas (Jackman) commences his search for the Fountain of Youth, the legendary entity believed to grant immortality. As modern-day scientist Tommy Creo, he desperately struggles to find a cure for the cancer that is killing his beloved wife, Isabel (Rachel Weisz). (Warner Bros.) Back to slideshow navigation
  24. Finding his inner lupine

    In 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand," Wolverine (Jackman) prepares to unleash his berserker rage. Though this is the last official "X-Men" film, 2009 would brings a prequel about Jackman's character. (20th Century Fox) Back to slideshow navigation
  25. Music man

    Jackman performs in "The Boy From Oz," a musical based on the life of 1970s singer-songwriter Peter Allen. Jackman received the Tony Award for best actor in a musical in 2004 for his portrayal of the flamboyant boy from New South Wales, who helped define the disco era in the 1970s and '80s before succumbing to AIDS in 1992. (Patrick Riviere / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  26. Emmy winner

    Jackman poses in the press room at the 57th Annual Emmy Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on Sept. 18, 2005, in Los Angeles. He won his award for hosting the Tonys. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  27. Tony king

    Jackman performs with members of the Broadway musical "Hairspray" on stage during the "58th Annual Tony Awards" at Radio City Music Hall on June 6, 2004, in New York City. (Frank Micelotta / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  28. Family man

    Jackman and wife Deborra-Lee Furness, whom he wed in 1996, and their son Oscar Maximilian Jackman. The couple also adopted a daughter, Ava Eliot. (Dimitrios Kambouris / WireImage) Back to slideshow navigation
  29. X-Men united

    Famke Janssen joins Jackman to present on stage at the MTV Movie Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on May 31, 2003, in Los Angeles. (Robert Mora / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  30. Monster mash

    In 2004's "Van Helsing," Jackman stars as the legendary monster hunter who must stop Dracula (Richard Roxburgh), Frankenstein's monster (Shuler Hensley) and the werewolf. (Universal Pictures) Back to slideshow navigation
  31. Dashing duke

    In 2001's "Kate and Leopold," a woman executive (Meg Ryan) living in modern-day New York and still looking for love steals the heart of a 19th century duke (Jackman) who has traveled through time, from 1867 to the new millennium. Can this pair with a world of differences and a lifetime of longing find true happiness? (Miramax) Back to slideshow navigation
  32. Blond ambition

    On "Saturday Night Live," Jackman played boytoy Ingo, to Maya Rudolph's Donatella Versace on Dec. 8, 2001. (Everett Collection) Back to slideshow navigation
  33. What an animal

    In 2001's "Someone Like You," Jane Goodale (Ashley Judd) writes a column for a magazine analyzing the animal-like mating habits of men, and becomes an overnight sensation. Despite her literary attempts to de-mystify romance, she finds a new romance with another co-worker (Jackman) and finds that the human heart -- even a man's -- is too complicated to be simply explained my instinct. (Anthony Harvey / Getty Images) Back to slideshow navigation
  34. They'll drink to that

    Jane Goodale (Ashley Judd) is a young New Yorker in "Someone Like You" who, after a heated romance with a co-worker (Greg Kinnear) sours, begins to piece her life back together by writing a column for a magazine analyzing the animal-like mating habits of men, and becomes an overnight sensation. Despite her literary attempts to de-mystify romance, she finds a new romance with another co-worker (Jackman) and finds that the human heart -- even a man's -- is more complicated than to be easily explained by instinct. (20th Century Fox) Back to slideshow navigation
  35. Clawing his way to the top

    In 2000's "X-Men," Jackman plays a bad-tempered, quick-healing mutant with retractable metal claws called Wolverine. (20th Century Fox) Back to slideshow navigation
  36. One for the Netflix queue

    In the 1999 film, "Paperback Hero," Jack Willis (Jackman) is a handsome roadtrain driver with a secret -- he has just become a top-selling romance novelist. However, being a "man's man" in the Australian outlook, to avoid embarrassment, he needs a name, a woman's name -- and he chooses that of his best friend, Ruby Vale (Claudia Karvan). (Universal) Back to slideshow navigation
  37. Early awards

    In the 1999 film "Erskineville Kings," Wace (Jackman), a lost soul of 25, returns from the Australian cane fields to his hometown, inner-city Erskineville. Jackman won the Film Critics Circle Australia award for his performance. (Palace Films) Back to slideshow navigation
  38. Definitely not beastly

    Jackman landed the role of Gaston in the Australian production of "Beauty and the Beast" from 1995 to 1996. Here he is pictured in "Oklahoma." (Everett Collectiom) Back to slideshow navigation
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