Before Hugh Jackman became a household name with his role of Wolverine in 2000’s X-Men, the Australian actor auditioned opposite Sandra Bullock for a role in Miss Congeniality. Speaking about the audition for the first time to Variety for a recent cover story, Jackman says he was still a “nobody” when reading for the romantic comedy, and it was the first time he had ever tested with another actor.

“No one knew X-Men yet. I was a nobody,” he said, recalling how he was blown away by (and unable to keep up with) scene partner Bullock as he read for her on-screen love interest FBI agent Eric Matthews.

“Holy sh-t! She’s amazing! And so quick and fast. I’m not even vaguely up to speed here,” Jackman remembers thinking. “I was pedaling as fast as I could, but I didn’t know the script well enough.”

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Jackman Recalls Miss Congeniality Rejection: It’s ‘Humiliating’

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Though a first-ever test read with another actor is bound to be nerve-wracking for any performer, going up opposite the talented Bullock proved to be too much for the novice Jackman. Ultimately, the role went to Benjamin Bratt (Traffic, Catwoman). Jackman, who had been reticent about the role to begin with, says that the rejection from Miss Congeniality was particularly painful.

“That’s humiliating,” he told Variety, explaining that his agent had insisted he audition for the part of Agent Matthews as negotiation leverage for a role he’d been offered in Someone Like You with Ashley Judd. “When your agent says, ‘I don’t want you to get this job, but just go get it.’ And then you don’t get it.”

Despite losing out on what his agent thought was “an easy win” with the Miss Congeniality role, Jackman was unknowingly already on the verge of his big break: by the time he auditioned for the rom-com, filming had wrapped for X-Men. The superhero blockbuster—which also starred Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, and Anna Paquin—would premiere later that year and rocket Jackman to stardom.

The actor would go on to play the blade-brandishing mutant in six more movies, and will be returning once more in the upcoming third Deadpool movie. Although he had every intent of retiring as Wolverine after 20 years, Jackman was reeled back in by star Ryan Reynolds, who had been pleading him “on the daily” for a Deadpool-Wolverine movie. When Jackman finally saw Reynolds’ character on the big screen, his mind was made up.

“I went to a screening of Deadpool,” he recounted. “I was 20 minutes in, and I was like, ‘Ah, damn it!’ All I kept seeing in my head was 48 Hours with Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy.”

“So it’s been brewing for a long time. It just took me longer to get here,” he added.

Read Jackman’s full interview with Variety here.