Hugh Jackman talks more VAN HELSING!

"The feel of this movie is more about Errol Flynn than anything," Jackman beams. "It's a big, swashbuckling movie. I've got long hair and it (Van Helsing) is set in that period with the kind of heroic look and with a feel of lightness. There is a lot of Errol Flynn about it. He had an irrepressible charm and charisma. He was very cheeky and I think that is something to do with being Australian.

"This is a fun movie and if you can make it interesting to anybody over the age of 11, which is what we are trying to do, then you have got to have a little twinkle in your eye while you're doing this. That's the kind of thing Errol would have done - he was a lovable rogue, shall we say."

"Van Helsing is basically a mercenary for the Catholic church and he's hired by them to kill posessed souls." Jackman says. "It's kind of like 20th century black ops, so any possessed soul that is out there, Van Helsing's job is to go out there and exterminate them. He's also on a private quest because he's a very conflicted character. It's fair to say he's disgruntled, he's not really happy in his job and his job is kind of an admission of failure.

"The movie is set in Transylvannia and it's quite fantastical. There is Dracula, vampires, werewolves; it's kind of like the dogs of the moors from 100 years ago. It's a lot of fun and a little bit spooky. Van Helsing is not just a cool James Bond where he shoots the villain, and has a bit of a snigger and a laugh and moves onto the next one, Van Helsing is psychologically very interesting."

And also very physical. As actors go, Jackman is more from the van Damme - rather than Robbie Coltrane - school of fitness. "I'd say this is the hardest movie I've ever done in terms of the physical demands," Jackman confesses.