Pressure builds, and he bolts. Where can he find some peace and quiet, and someone who doesn't know who he is?
Hugh Jackman finds an oasis of calm and hot sex, away from the spotlight.
This is a fantasy, and in no way reflects a real incident, nor do I wish to cause concern or upset to Mr Jackman and his family in anyway with this erotic story.
However if you are the sexiest man alive, you must realise you are the centre of many a person's erotic dreams.
*
The PR people were driving him crazy. Do this, go there, meet this person, and have a photo taken with that person. The whole last month had been intense, with the worldwide promotional tour for the new film taking over his life.
Smiling and being nice to people was usually so easy, but lately, with the past year, the back to back filming, PR tours, the Oscars, and production work it was becoming too much.
He just needed some space.
Staring across the room at the camera set up ready to film yet another interview, with the same old questions, the same well rehearsed stories and the same old need to project himself, it was all getting to be a pain in the butt.
Deb and the kids weren't due for another week, and although he normally enjoyed meeting people, and being the centre of attention, he was wishing he could just break loose, and be invisible for a while.
Even last night, when he met up with his half sister for a late night meal in a London Restaurant, people were filming him with their mobiles as he ate, and he knew, within hours the recordings would be up on YouTube for all to see.
No privacy allowed.
The crew all stood in front of him, sound man, cameraman, PR people, lighting and the Studio bodies, all waiting for the next in the back to back line of press people to sit in the chair across for where he sat, and to record the ten minutes of allotted time that would be used to promote the new film out to the public on some TV programme.
Part of the marketing of the product, he knew it was so very important, but somehow, so far from what he dreamt of as a drama student all those years ago.
In walked a blond woman, her overpowering scent wafting across to him before she arrived. Why did woman do that? Overdo the perfume. Didn't they know that their own individual scents were usually much more erotic than the synthetic ones?
Standing up, he smiled one of his killer smiles and taking her hand, leant forward to kiss her cheek, before indicating where to sit. Settling down into position he asked her, "Sam the PR man says you're fairly new to the early morning show, how's it going?" As she started to answer, the make up girl came over and dusted some more powder on his forehead, so that the ice breaking answer was almost lost.
"I love it, it was such an opportunity for me, and getting to interview you as my first guest is so exciting. I've followed your career for years, ever since 'The Fountain', such a romantic film."
Laughing a little ironically, he replied, as the hair person started to run her fingers through his hair, making sure it was looking at its best for the camera. "Not one of my more popular films, too esoteric for most people, but it's one of my favourite roles."
"A deep and thoughtful film."
"Yeah, Darren Aronofsky's direction was a joy to work with."
There was a settling of everyone as they all walked back, leaving the two people, sitting in front of the large poster advertising the new film, the opening date in big letters across the top, waiting ready to be filmed.
"And roll camera, ready Hugh, ready sound, let's go."
Settling into his interview persona, smiling and flirting outrageously with his eyes, he focused on the woman, answering her questions about the film, his work out regime, what he thought about being back here in England, and whether it was true about him doing a new re make of Carousel later in the year.
Telling her the well rehearsed story of how his father came dressed in a tuxedo to watch him sing Carousel at Carnegie Hall years ago, his mind wandered back to a time when he could walk about, unnoticed, before the fame, when the hunger for good parts and work was there, and it all seemed so exciting.
Where had the last fourteen years gone. It had all happened so fast, and most of the time he felt like it was out of his control. He yearned for just a break, a small break, where he could kick out, be the old Hugh he was way back when, before the responsibility, the fame, the people staring at him, and behaving himself.
When the allotted ten minutes were up, he stood and joked with the blond, telling her how much he enjoyed meeting her, and as she left, along with her film crew, he sat sipping at the bottle of water, as the throng of people moved and shifted around him, setting up the next interview, the next set of similar questions, the well rehearsed stories to be trotted out.
Yesterday he had filmed the Jonathan Ross show segment to go out tomorrow night, and later today he was meeting up with Studio suits to discuss another possible project to be filmed in about two years time. It felt like he was on a treadmill, never ending.
Putting his hand in his pocket he felt the envelope that had been handed to him early this morning by his assistant, but hadn't got around to opening. Pulling it out, and turning it over in his hand as the noise around him bubbled, people doing their jobs, setting up new camera's, PR people fussing, assistants ordering food on the hotel phone, he noticed the writing said his name in a strong script across the front.
Ripping open the envelope he pulled out the letter, along with the ticket clipped to the one page sheet. Reading quickly and then holding up the ticket in his hand he smiled to himself. Well here might be the answer to his problems. Earlier this year he had inadvertently mentioned that the English Soccer team he supported was Norwich City. It was during an interview with some guy who was so off field he had made him laugh the whole time, appealing to his sense of humour. Hearing he was in town, the guy had sent a ticket for the match on Saturday, along with the note of thanks for the last interview, and please enjoy the match as his guest.
Calling over his assistant, he asked, "What is booked for the weekend, what have I got set?"
"Saturday we just have some one on one's with some magazines, and you have Sunday off."
"What about tomorrow night? What time is the recording going to finish?"
"You mean the Graham Norton Show. You should be out of there by about six thirty. Why?"
"Clear Saturday for me, I don't care how you do it, just do it. Rearrange the one on ones to another day next week, and see if you can hire me a car, a nice unobtrusive one, to be at the studio after Graham Norton as I am going away for the weekend."
The look of panic on the assistants face was classic. Glancing behind him at the PR people and the studio bodies, he frowned. "Not sure if they're going to be too happy about this Hugh."
"Tough, they have my soul for the six weeks; I'm entitled to a couple of days on my own. Set up the break for me and tell them I'll do that interview with Howard Stern for them in return. They'll buy that."
Noticing the next body to come into interview him, a friendly looking man, with salt and pepper hair and an orange tan, he stuffed the ticket and letter in his pocket and stood up to shake hands, suddenly feeling more refreshed than he had ten minutes ago.
*
Climbing into the Silver Mercedes Series 6 convertible, he looked up at Clive his assistant and laughing said, "So this is the most inconspicuous car they could find?"
"Closing the trunk of the car, where he had just stowed the weekend bag with Hugh's stuff, he walked up to the side of the car and leaning in the window pointed out, "For the Studio, this is as plain and simple as you get."
Turning the key in the ignition, he floored the gas, "See you on Sunday night." and in a flourish was gone into the London Friday evening traffic, lost amongst the rush hour, fighting his way across town to get to the motorway leading to the North East and Norwich.
Finally feeling like he was free, he turned on the radio, and finding a station, listened to the drive time show, a mixture of music, phone in, mayhem and traffic information. Singing along with the Stones, he relaxed even more, remembering that crazy Russian interview for Wolverine: The Origins, when he had sung along with the Russian guys to the Stones song Satisfaction. Many of the Eastern countries that he did interviews in expected him to do crazy things, and being a person who never said no, he would just go for it, usually having fun, but even someone as sociable as he was needed to have some space, and this weekend he intended to cut loose from all the pressure and just chill.
Leaving London behind him took a while, the traffic stopping and starting, the crazy narrow streets and abundance of roadwork's making the journey slow and painful, but he didn't care, he was alone for the first time in ages, no pressure, no call on his time, no watchful eyes. Just him, the radio, and the freedom of road. Eventually reaching the M11 he kicked down on the speed, the car moving smoothly along, a steady speed of 80 mph, overtaking Lorries and other cars, aiming for the turn off at Cambridge.
Not having any idea where he was going to stay, he had decided to do as he had as young man. Stop and find a bed and breakfast somewhere in the sticks. Hopefully he would be unrecognised and if he left it late to stop, maybe closer to Norwich, he could just slip in somewhere, grab something to eat and have an early night.
An hour and a half later he was driving up the A11, the small villages going past in a blur, when the car started to slow down. Pumping the gas, he frowned, looking at the fuel gage. Plenty there, a quarter full. The water seemed OK, no light, and no blinking light for the oil. So why was the car slowing down, now giving the odd shudder, as he kept going moving forward, trees and fields all around, the darkness unbroken by any sign of street lights, trying to keep going until he came across some form of civilisation.
Eventually the car came to a grinding halt, and hitting the steering wheel with his palm he grunted. Damn, damn, damn.
Pulling out the mobile from his jacket slung on the chair next to him, he tried to dial, only to find no signal. No damn signal, a broken car, and in the middle of nowhere. Well he wanted peace and quiet and it looked as if he had it. Deathly quiet. Looking out at the high thick trees around him, he tried to remember how far back the last house had been. About a couple of miles in his estimation. There was nothing else left to do, but get out and walk back, see if he could use their phone and get someone to help get the car going. Grabbing his jacket and locking up the car, he started the walk back up the road. Half way there the heavens opened up, the rain pouring down in torrents, soaking him completely, rain dripping off his nose and hair, he ran the rest of the way, until he came to a small cottage set back from the road behind a stone wall, a bright green chipped door with a large brass knocker sitting dead centre.