Hugh's faux campaign for 'Sexiest' title; Oscar watch: the front-runners and the wild cards; plus, where do the X-Men go from here?

Get tickets, showtimes and more at MSN Movies

Hugh Jackman may have sat down to discuss his new epic "Australia," but the members of the press in attendance were much more interested in the recent news that People magazine declared him this year's Sexiest Man Alive.

"Did you all get a copy of the magazine? I had them put 'em on the seat," Jackman joked.

Unlike some previous winners, Jackman is neither embarrassed nor dismissive of the recognition. But he does have a sense of humor about it.

"We ran a very strong campaign. I'm not proud of it. I can admit it now," Jackman says. "We're the first to run a negative campaign and we've spent years bringing Clooney, Pitt, Damon, McConaughey all down to size, and I was prepared to do absolutely anything."

Oh, how cheeky of you, Mr. Jackman.

The 40-year-old Sydney native has just arrived in Los Angeles from Down Under, where "Australia" premiered to a sea of national pride. Set right before the start of World War II, "Australia" finds a prissy British aristocrat, Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), traveling to the far away continent to investigate what has become of a cattle ranch that her husband purchased in the middle of the country. After discovering he has been murdered, she recruits a brazen rancher known only as Drover (Jackman) to help her lead the herd to the seaside port of Darwin, where the military is looking for livestock to feed its troops. They soon discover competing beef tycoon King Carney (Bryan Brown) is intent on doing anything he can to stop them and take over her ranch. And, of course, opposites attract and true love blooms.

Trivia game: Test your knowledge of award-winning films

The film reunites Kidman with "Moulin Rouge!" director Baz Luhrmann, and "Australia" is just as stylized and over the top (with less successful results) as that musical favorite. While Jackman knew Luhrmann wanted the same mix of "high comedy" and "high tragedy," there were moments when he wasn't sure it was going to work. One scene early in the film finds Jackman baring his chest and dumping soapy water over himself in a hypersexualized moment that will evoke laughs from moviegoers.

"I remember saying to Baz, 'Are you sure this isn't too much? Are they going to laugh? They're going to think I'm a wanker here,'" Jackman says. "And he says, 'If we're strong and really commit to the moment, the comedy of it will rise.' There were a couple of members of the crew who took their shirts off after the first little break, one of which oiled himself up a little bit. So, trust me, I got a lot of hell about that scene when we were down there."

Jackman was lucky enough to have his next film, this summer's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," also shot in his native land. It will be the fourth time that Jackman has drawn the superhero's claws, but he claims this adventure will be as bound to the characters and the story as the previous X-Men films. He notes, "All the other stuff, like those powers and all that stuff that's terrific, is not at the heart of it. It's its themes and its characters and the struggles."

And then, pausing for effect, with a slight smile, Jackman adds, "I did miss Halle Berry, though."

Won't we all.

"Australia" opens nationwide on Nov. 26.