Real Steel opened in theaters nationwide last weekend  and hit the No. 1 box office spot. This means more and more people are realizing just what a great family action movie it is. Yes, family and action together. And robots that will win your heart. How cool is that?

I had the chance to join a group of bloggers in L.A. to interview the even-more-amazing-in-person Hugh Jackman about his role in this film. Hugh is well known for being incredibly charismatic and a great guy to work with. He is also a family man and dad to two adopted kids–a boy and a girl.

We kept hearing that Real Steel was a great family movie, so we wanted to get his perspective on it and, if so, had his children seen it. Below is an excerpt of that part of the conversation with a super cute bedtime-story anecdote you will enjoy.

Q : Everybody that’s been in the room has just had amazing things to say about you.  Is that important to you — your reputation with your crew?

HJ : Yeah. That’s a good question. It probably is. I think in a way the leader of the film is the director, alright. But I come up with a little bit of the old school like if the actor’s gonna be snobby and that filters around everybody — I don’t know. I think your job is to bring people together. Like it’s a team — acting, filmmaking is definitely a team effort. So, if you can’t be that kind of guy that enjoys being around other people, then don’t turn out. Like don’t be in the film, you know.

Q : Real Steel director, Shawn Levy said you called his daughter on her birthday.

HJ : Oh. I’ve had a crush on her daughter, Charlie. Same name as my character. She’s three and she’s in the movie. She’s young but she’s such a cutie. And she wrote me a little love letter.

Q : Have your kids seen the movie yet?

HJ : Oh my gosh. I have an eleven year old boy and a six year old girl — I’m gonna take you back a little ’cause when I read the script, I — I’m not proud of this moment. But I had the script for three days. And I was busy. You know what it’s like. And so I was busy and then my agent rang and said, “Shawn’s  actually flying into New York for another thing and wants to meet with you in the morning for breakfast to discuss the script.”

And I was like, “No problem.” And I was just about to read to my son. I had just read to my daughter. And, uh, he was writing to Tin-Tin. He loves Tin-Tin. She goes, “Dad, can we read Tin-Tin?” And I said, “Oh, how about we read this Real Steel story.

It’s called “Real Steel” about robots. And he was like, “Really?” A script — like he was — he’s not interested in my job at all, right. So I said, “Well I’ll read a few pages.” And he goes, “Alright.” My son always draws while I read.

So I’m reading, I’m getting into the script and I went, oh, Oscar. And I looked up. He’s like, “Go on, go on, go on, go on.” Like he was so into it. And then he made me read the script to him every night for like ten nights — at least ten nights in a row. And he goes, “You keep reading more. Read more. And then can we get back to the beginning.” He loved this script. And he sat next to me in the film. And it’s the first time I’ve ever taken my kids to a film, because none of my films have really been applicable, I thought, for them.

So my son was there, as well as my daughter who’s only six. I just knew she would love it. 

 So anyway, yes, is the very long answer to that. And they loved it. And I saw the movie with my mother in law who’s 75 and my wife and my two kids. All of them were cheering and they were crying and they just — they just loved it.

It was a really great moment for me, you know, to genuinely have all those three generations loving it.

Check out this trailer featuring Charlie {Hugh Jackman} and Max {Dakota Goyo}:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pShDn5bD3BA

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