Hugh Jackman found it "hard" to bulk up to play Wolverine again.

The 55-year-old actor reprises his role as the iconic 'X-Men' superhero - who he last played in 2017's 'Logan' - alongside Ryan Reynolds in crossover blockbuster 'Deadpool and Wolverine' and he admitted the thing he found most difficult about returning to the character was "the food" because he is naturally "skinny" but needed to be buff.

Speaking to Ryan in conversation for People magazine, he said: "The hardest bit … [was] the food. I have to eat a lot. For me, for my body type, I’m naturally skinny.

"To get the size on, that’s the hardest bit. That’s the bit that does my head in.”

His friend agreed: “Yeah, the five, six meals a day, which sounds great to some people. I’m sure they’re like, ‘Well, that sounds great.’ But it’s not like the type of food that you would really necessarily enjoy.”

Ryan was amazed by his friend's dedication to the physical aspects of the role and admitted seeing the 'Greatest Showman' actor in action gave him a new appreciation for Hugh's dance background.

He said: “Just the sheer relentlessness that you dedicated yourself towards stunts, choreography.

“It was the first time I’d ever seen how invaluable a background in song and dance is when you are doing an action movie.

“You hit your marks in those fight scenes with speed and confidence, the likes of which I have never seen. I don’t care if you were 25, 35, 45 or 55. It was lightning.

“Watching you do what just looked like a clinic on stunt work was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Hugh praised the work he'd done with stunt co-ordinator Brian Smrz, who had introduced dance training to prepare for action sequences, and he was delighted it paid off.

He said: “When I came back to it, it was really fun and I was thrilled.

"My body was a little sore at the beginning, but I was thrilled that my body was still responding.

"And I realised how good it is for your brain.”