When Hugh Jackman looks back at the massive production of X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006, one performance that still stands out to him is Eric Dane's brief but memorable turn as the mutant Jamie Madrox, better known as Multiple Man. While the film was packed with established stars and explosive special effects, Jackman remembers how Dane managed to make a technically complicated sequence feel completely effortless. For Jackman, it was an early glimpse of the commanding screen presence that would soon make Dane a recognizable face in television and film.
The scene in question appears early in the film during a chaotic bank robbery sequence. Jamie Madrox's power allows him to duplicate himself repeatedly, creating dozens of identical clones that swarm the room and overwhelm anyone trying to stop him. On screen, the effect looks fluid and almost playful, with copies of Madrox multiplying rapidly and moving naturally through the space. But behind the scenes, the process was far more demanding than audiences realized.
According to Jackman, Eric Dane had no previous experience with the complicated visual-effects choreography required for the role. To create the illusion of fifty identical mutants, the actor had to perform the same physical actions again and again, sometimes dozens of times, each take with slight changes in timing, body language, or position. The camera would remain fixed while Dane repeated the sequence in different spots throughout the set. Later, visual-effects artists would layer those performances together to build the army of clones seen on screen.
What impressed Jackman most was how naturally Dane handled the pressure. The film carried a production budget of around $210 million, and every shot had to be carefully planned to ensure the visual effects would work. With such high stakes, many actors might have struggled with the mechanical repetition or the need to imagine multiple versions of themselves in a scene that was essentially empty during filming. Yet Jackman recalls Dane approaching the moment with relaxed confidence, bringing an easy swagger to the mutant criminal.
That attitude helped sell the character. Jamie Madrox in the comics is known for his mischievous confidence and unpredictable nature, and Dane's performance captured that personality in just a few minutes of screen time. Even while repeating the same movements over and over for technical reasons, he managed to keep the energy playful and spontaneous. The final result made the clones feel believable rather than robotic, something Jackman says was entirely due to Dane's instincts as a performer.
For Jackman, who had already spent years carrying the franchise as Wolverine, moments like that stood out on a crowded set. He remembers watching the scene come together and realizing that Dane had something special. Even though the role was small compared with the film's major characters, the confidence and charisma he displayed hinted at a future leading man.
In hindsight, that brief appearance feels like an early chapter in Eric Dane's career before he gained widespread recognition on television. But for those who worked beside him during the production of X-Men: The Last Stand, the impression was immediate. Jackman's recollection highlights how even a short scene can reveal a performer's potential—especially when the actor manages to make one of the most technically challenging moments in a blockbuster film look completely natural.