 Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier / Lord Caldlow ( The Great Danton ) , an aristocratic magician . After reading the script , Jackman expressed interest in playing the part . Christopher Nolan discovered Jackman was interested in the script , and after meeting him , saw that Jackman possessed the qualities of stage showmanship that Nolan was looking for in the role of Angier . Nolan explained that Angier had a " wonderful understanding of the interaction between a performer and a live audience " , a quality he believed that Jackman had . Nolan said that Jackman " has the great depth as an actor that hasn 't really been explored . People haven 't had the chance to really see what he can do as an actor , and this is a character that would let him do that . " Jackman based his portrayal of Angier on 1950s @-@ era American magician Channing Pollock . Jackman also portrays Gerald Root , an alcoholic double used for Angier 's New Transported Man . 
