Hugh Jackman says Wolverine’s growl damaged his vocal cords

Hugh Jackman had to make one big sacrifice to take on the role of Wolverine — his voice.

The “X-Men” star first took on the role in 2000 and went on to star in six action-packed films from the franchise.

But his mutant superhero character’s growl took a toll on the Aussie actor’s real voice, which he reveals is now “damaged” as a result.

“I’ve done some damage to my voice with Wolverine,” Jackman said on BBC Radio 4’s “Front Row.” “My falsetto is not as strong as it used to be and that I directly put down to some of the growling and yelling.”

“My voice teacher in drama school would’ve been horrified by some of the things I did [in “Wolverine”],” he added.

Jackman’s character is known for roaring when he’s letting out his iron claws.

“We learned a technique [in school] of how to shout and how to yell without ruining your voice,” he explained. “However, during Wolverine, I did some screaming and yelling and things that I think did damage to my voice.”

“I’m working on it. I work with a singing teacher and I try not to hurt myself. I put a lot of effort into both physical movement and my vocal preparation for every role,” he added.

Despite the toll his Wolverine character took on his voice, Jackman bagged a variety of big roles during his career.

The Aussie recently completed nearly a year-long stint on Broadway in “The Music Man.” His previous work on “The Greatest Showman” soundtrack earned him a Grammy nomination.

Prior to his work on these projects, Jackman starred in the hit 2012 musical, “Les Misérables.”

Jackman recently denied ever using steroids to play Wolverine.

In HBO’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” the host asked, “Over the years, people have wondered, did he juice? Did he take steroids?”

Jackman got “jacked” for the nine movies in which he’s played Wolverine, which sparked some fan speculation about his workout regimen.

“No, I love my job. And I love Wolverine,” the 54-year-old actor said. “I got to be careful what I say here, but I had been told anecdotally what the side effects are of that. And I was like, ‘I don’t love it that much.’ So, no, I just did it the old-school way.”

Turns out, the “old-school way” involved eating copious amounts of poultry.

“And I tell you, I’ve eaten more chickens — I’m so sorry to all the vegans and vegetarians and to the chickens of the world. Literally, the karma is not good for me,” Jackman said. “If the deity has anything related to chickens, I’m in trouble.”