Neil Patrick Harris pays tribute to Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman, currently wowing audiences on Broadway, is one of the stars featured in Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainers of the Year Issue.

The magazine, wisely, asked Neil Patrick Harris to write the tribute and I share it with you here in its entirety:

Jack of all trades is a tricky job – and no one does it better than Hugh Jackman.

He can simultaneously be the super-studly action star of Real Steel, flit about the Broadway stage as the faaaaabulous Peter Allen, and be the charming tuxedodoed host of a major awards show, and no one questions it a bit. Nay, people eat it up.

I had the unique honor of working alongside Hugh during a performance at this year’s Tony Awards. When we were rehearsing, I marveled at his positivity and easygoing nature. He never said no to anything! Could I openly mock him? Sure thing. Have a snappy Chorus Line dance-off? You betcha. How about slow-dance together while harmonizing to You’re the Top? Absolutely. As a major giganntic-time movie star, Hugh had every right to say, “Crikey, let’s opt for something a little tamer, mate.”

There was none of that.

His agenda was simply for the good of the show. I think he’s that selfless, that committed, to everything he sets his mind to. It’s what makes him not only a star but a super one. I can’t wait to see what he’ll surprise us with next.