'Real Steel' Brings the Kid Out of Hugh Jackman

With the movies he's been in, Hugh Jackman has had claws grow from his hands, found the Fountain of Youth and been attacked by Dracula, but even he was shocked by the props in his latest film, Real Steel.

"It turned me into an 11 year old when I first saw them," Hugh said of the real-life 8-foot- tall robots that Hugh worked with for about half the movie.

MORE: Get a Taste of Real Steel

The new sci-fi flick finds Hugh as a Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at the title when 2000-pound, giant, steel robots took over the ring. Now a small-time promoter at underground boxing venues, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a lean, mean championship contender.

The suggestion for incorporating actual robots for part of the film came from executive producer Steven Spielberg.

"[Steven] found with Jurassic Park that the more real elements you can have, the better it is," Hugh explained.

Hugh's other surprise came while training for the film. The Australian actor admitted that he was star struck when he first met his trainer Sugar Ray Leonard.

"He gave me way more than I could've imagined," said Hugh. "He taught me about what the life of a boxer is like."

Real Steel stomps into theaters November 18.