Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton Talk New Film ‘Eddie the Eagle’

Eddie the Eagle

Hugh Jackman struggled to keep a straight face on the Eddie the Eagle set, because his co-star kept trying to mess up his lines.

Kingsman: The Secret Service star Taron Egerton, who portrays British Olympic ski jumper Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards in the new biopic, spent much of filming trying to make Hugh ruin scenes.

Taron, 26, admits working with the laid-back Australian, who plays trainer Chuck Berghorn, was one of the best experiences he’s had in Hollywood so far, and the castmates had a lot of fun making each other laugh during the shoot.

“We had such a good time,” the Welshman gushed on breakfast show Good Morning America. “The movie is inspirational and uplifting, but it’s just so funny. We just spent two months laughing at each other.

“I kind of made it my mission to try and put Hugh off in every single scene. You can watch the movie and you’ll see (it worked).”

And it wasn’t just one take Hugh couldn’t keep a straight face in.

“There’s several times where you just see me laughing and it made the cut, but he (Taron) is hysterical,” the 47-year-old smiled.

Taron’s filming experience was made all the more enjoyable when he learned he wouldn’t have to adopt a strict diet and fitness regime.

“I said (to director Dexter Fletcher), ‘Do you want me to train for this?’,” Taron recalled on daytime show The View. “He said, ‘No, actually, you can be a bit flabby’, and I was like, ‘Let me have the pastries!'”

He also had to learn how to ski for the project, but his lack of experience actually worked wonders for the film, as the real-life Eddie wasn’t known for his sporting success – he finished last in both of his ski-jumping events at the 1988 Winter Olympics.

“Never in my life (have I skied),” Taron admitted. “I had to learn for the film. I didn’t take to it like a duck to water, I have to say, but I gave it a good go, just like Eddie!”

Eddie the Eagle is out in theaters today!

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