I cried after meeting Hugh Jackman, says Welsh actor

A Welsh actor says she cried after meeting Hollywood star Hugh Jackman while working on a new film together.

Jade Croot, from Merthyr Tydfil, met the actor while working on the The Death of Robin Hood and said she was now able to message her famous co-star for advice.

"I think he knew that it was a big thing for me to work with him and he just made the whole experience magical," she said.

"I said to him, 'I didn't cry before meeting you, but I did cry after meeting you' because it meant so much."

It is set to be a busy year for Croot, with the latest project set to be released in June, while she also stars in newly-released horror The Rabbit Trap opposite Oscar-nominee Dev Patel.

The Rabbit Trap, which was filmed in Yorkshire instead of Wales due to a smoking ban, tells the story of a couple who move from London and encounter fairies from Welsh folklore, known as Tylwydd Teg.

Croot plays The Child, and was able to keep her native Merthyr accent while in character.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Croot said: "It was so touching and so moving just to be on a set and be able to use [my accent] day in day.

"I think the Welsh accent is very special anyway, but to have it on a set and to then see it on the big screen... I'm quite emotional speaking about it."

Croot has been acting since she was a child, and was inspired by her "hero" Sir Anthony Hopkins.

"I saw him in Silence of the Lambs and I was just blown away and I remember watching it thinking, 'I want to do that one day.'

"My dreams, I think they felt very far away. I didn't know if I was good enough to do it. But seeing somebody like him with a similar background go on and do all the incredible things he's done, I think that just gave me the push to give it a go."

It was a full circle moment when she appeared in his 2024 film Mary, but she says she'd "probably be on the floor" if they ever met.

Since appearing in her first film at 13, Croot has gone on to work with many Hollywood A-listers including Salma Hayek, Chris Evans and Henry Cavill.

She said: "When I first met these actors I was really in awe and starstruck, and I still am, but you get to know them on a human level and honestly, every single one of them, they've just been wonderful.

"To know them on that level and to be able to message and ask for advice or ask for support, it's a really wonderful thing."

Croot said she was proud of her south Wales roots, calling fellow Merthyr actor Sam Locke, who appears in the film 28 Years Later, "a good friend".

"We really try and champion each other and support each other because we're from the same town.

"But it's just really humbling and it's lovely and I just feel so grateful to have had the experiences that I've had and I just hope it shows people that you can do it and that you will get there.

"I wouldn't be doing this today without the backing of people of Merthyr Tydfil."