'Les Misérables' Cast Members Hit The Red Carpet For New York Film Premiere
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The cast of "Les Misérables" – Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried -- hit the red carpet at the Ziegfield Theatre in Midtown on Monday night for their New York premiere of the film adaptation of the classic musical.
The stars talked about their experience in the highly-anticipated film, which opens on Christmas Day.
Jackman said it was actually harder training to sing for "Les Mis" than to be Wolverine in the "X-Men" film series.
"I had to do a similar level of training, for the different looks of (protagonist) Jean Valjean. He's, unfortunately, known as one of the strongest men in the world," Jackman said. "Why did Victor Hugo have to write that little tidbit? Why can't he just be a ... let himself go? Maybe if I do 'Wolverine the Musical,' it will be matching."
Jackman said he felt like he had been training 20 years for the role.
Hathaway made headlines by dropping 25 pounds for her role as sick factory worker Fantine, and recently touted her vegan diet. She said on the red carpet that the commitment extended to her shoes.
"I'm so happy because when I first got the dress and saw the shoes and got the picture, they were made of leather, and then (designer) Tom Ford made them for me out of vegan material, so I was very excited to get to wear them," she said.
As for Crowe – who plays Inspector Javert -- he has been busy lately shooting "Winter's Tale" in several New York City locations.
"I'm in a really lucky situation. I'm shooting another movie, so I've gotten off the hook way more than the others," Crowe said. "I've gotten to dip my toe in every now and then, then go back to work."
Nearly all the actors described the making of "Les Mis" as an exhausting, but exhilarating, experience.
"Once you're on the set, it's just singing 24/7, which is great," Crowe said, "and if you love to do it, and I love to do it, it's a pleasure more than anything else."
Jackman was spilling secrets on the red carpet Monday night, including his favorite coffee – made right here in New York. To find out what that coffee is, tune in Tuesday on The Insider, on CBS 2 at 7 p.m.
Victor Hugo's historical novel Les Misérables was published in 1862. The novel begins in 1815 and reaches its climax in the 1832 June Rebellion, focusing on the struggles and redemption of the ex-convict Valjean.
The first musical adaptation of "Les Misérables" premiered at the Palais des Sports in Paris in 1980. An English-language version opened in London's West End in 1985, and premiered on Broadway in 1987.
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