Jackman, on the other hand, seems to have no obvious shortcomings: His offscreen persona is that of a happy husband to the Australian actress Deborra-lee Furness and a doting father to their teenagers, Oscar and Ava, who sings in the shower and makes his best decisions while tap dancing.

On the day before his 50th birthday — which he would celebrate with his wife’s ricotta hot cakes before heading to the set of “Bad Education,” about an embezzlement scandal in a Long Island school district — Jackman talked about politics and privacy, what’s next for “The Greatest Showman” and why his life just keeps getting better.

Here are edited excerpts from the conversation.

What was it like being cast as Gary Hart?

It produced a little anxiety in the right kind of way. I mean, nerve-racking for many reasons — [Gary] is mysterious, hard to pin down, closed off. Even he said, “People call me cold and aloof but if I start winning they’ll call me enigmatic.” Then of course I’ve never played someone who’s alive. But I feel very strongly that our stories are one of the most valuable things to people. How we’re seen in the world, potentially how we’re remembered. And I wanted him to know that I took that very seriously.

Before Hart, presidents had affairs but the news media mostly left them alone. What changed?

This was really a key turning point, particularly in the relationship between press and politicians, and also politics and personality. Once the private life became a really important indicator of character, and something that voters and press could latch onto to describe their worthiness to lead, then the floodgates opened. It’s the most important job in the world, arguably, and you are making a decision about the character of someone in terms of what they say they’re going to do. For me, how they conduct their marriage is not that important.

In 2017, with “Logan,” you retracted your Wolverine claws after 17 years, a decision which you credited to Jerry Seinfeld.