On this day in 2006, The Prestige premiered – to rave reviews. The sci-fi mystery thriller, a gripping film about turn-of-the-century magicians and deadly illusions, boasted an all-star cast, grossed $109 million and received two Oscar nominations.
The movie’s hunky male stars – Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale – play rival stage magicians in 1890s London who, in their desperate bid for one-upmanship, devise ever more outlandish and dangerous tricks.
Michael Cane plays a veteran stage engineer who used to work with both magicians and Scarlett Johansson plays Jackman’s assistant.
The Prestige was also one of the few film roles for David Bowie, he took on the part of real-life inventor Nikola Tesla.
(Image: Warner Bros)
It was directed by Christopher Nolan, of Batman fame, so Bale and Caine are long-time collaborators. He also said at the time, when casting Bowie, he wanted someone with “extraordinary charisma”.
So since it’s been 15 years since The Prestige hit screens we take a look at where the cast is now.
(Image: Warner Bros)
Hugh Jackman
Aussie hunk Hugh Jackman is perhaps best known for playing Wolverine, the moody X Men character. In fact, he played the role for so long – from 2000 until 2017 – he has the Guinness World Record for “longest career as a live-action Marvel superhero”.
But it’s not just hulking mutants he plays, his roles have varied from tortured Jean Valjean in Les Miserables to the all-singing, all-dancing lead in The Greatest Showman.
(Image: REUTERS)
The 53-year-old has previously spoken about his childhood heartbreak when his British mother returned to the UK to live with his sisters and he stayed in Sydney with his dad.
He previously stated that his mother’s abandonment was “traumatic”, but the pair have since reunited later in life.
Most recently, Jackman went on his first world tour called The Man. The Music. The Show and he is also no stranger to treading the boards. He won a Tony Award in 2004 for The Boy from Oz and is set to star in The Music Man on Broadway in December 2021.
Jackman is married to fellow Australian Deborra Lee Furness and they have two adopted children.
Christian Bale
Shouty episodes on the set of Terminator aside, Christian Bale is a highly regarded method actor and played Batman to huge acclaim in a trilogy from 2005 to 2012.
He is known for his short temper – remember back in 2009 when he issued a foul-mouthed rant at a crew member who happened to walk into his eye line during a take? Nasty. He unreservedly apologised and said he confused “fact and fiction” but it definitely gave him a bad rep.
He also did a star turn in American Hustle and has been nominated for an Academy Award four times. A method actor through and through, Bale, 47, lost 70 lbs for his role in the sports drama Ford v Ferrari – though he has since said he will no longer do extreme weight fluctuation for films.
(Image: Getty Images)
Bale is due to play Gorr the God Butcher in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Thor: Love and Thunder, which is set for a May 2022 release.
He lives in LA with his wife, former model Sibi Blazic and their two children, Emmeline, 15, and Joseph, six.
Scarlett Johnasson
Scarlett Johansson is one of the most successful actresses of this generation and her films have grossed over $14 billion. She has been nominated for Oscars, Golden Globes and has won BAFTAs and even a Tony.
She would not have been a superstar yet back in 2006 though Lost in Translation opposite Bill Murray certainly put her on the map. Another one of Scarlett’s most famous roles was that of Black Widow – the latest of the franchise came out this year.
The 36-year-old has also collaborated with Woody Allen but it’s her Marvel Cinematic Universe partnership that has made her a household name.
(Image: Getty Images)
Scarlett has been described as the “embodiment of a male fantasy” and “sexually overwhelming” and it was said she was turned down for the role of Lisbeth Salandar in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for being too attractive.
She was married to Ryan Reynolds until 2011 and is now wed to SNL star Colin Jost. Johansson has two children, a daughter with previous partner Romain Dauriac and a son with Jost, 39.
David Bowie
David Bowie AKA Iggy Stardust AKA the Thin White Duke does not need much explanation. Born in Brixton, south London, in 1947 he was one of the most impactful and revered artists the UK has ever produced.
His music spanned decades, beginning with his hit Space Oddity in 1969. Known for dabbling across genres from glam rock to soul to jungle, Bowie created a mysterious, other-worldly persona – and also liked to take drugs, it is said.
With film, his most notable role was definitely Jareth in Jim Henson’s Labyrinth in 1986 – the weirdly sexy goblin king. Sting, Michael Jackson and Prince were all also considered for the cult role.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Since The Prestige, Bowie starred in Ricky Gervais’s Extras where he famously sang the song “Chubby Little Loser” at the comedian.
Bowie, whose sexuality was somewhat fluid, had two children. Duncan Jones, 50, is his son with first wife Angela Barnett and daughter Alexandria Jones, 21, is his daughter with second wife and model Iman.
The Let’s Dance singer died aged 69 from liver cancer. He did not publicise his illness and passed away in his New York apartment.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
