PHOTOS: ‘The Wolverine': Behind the Scenes Hugh Jackman, 20th Century Fox Film

Hugh Jackman behind the scenes

Rila Fukushima behind the scenes

Behind the scenes

Behind the scenes

Behind the scenes

Hugh Jackman behind the scenes

FILM If you don't count 23-year-old Emma Watson, the group of young actors who star in "The Bling Ring" collectively had just four feature films to their names before Sofia Coppola's artsy true crimer hit theaters. Despite their inexperience, teen thesps Israel Broussard, Katie Chang and Taissa Farmiga worked the festival and press circuit like seasoned pros, starting with a daunting premiere on opening night of Un Certain Regard at Cannes. How did they do it? "The Virgin Suicides" director Coppola has certainly helped launch other young careers before. But according to Chang, who graduated high school just a week before the film was released domestically, it was "Harry Potter" star Watson who took on the key mentoring role both during production and after. Farmiga is the next most experienced of the bunch, having cut her teeth on sister Vera's 2011 directorial debut "Higher Ground" and since landing a role on FX's "American Horror Story." Chang says the tight-knit group remain friends and continue to hang out socially. Via distributor A24, the pic went on to gross more than $5.5 million from fewer than 700 domestic venues.

FILM In a movie filled with powerful performances from lauded actors Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, "Les Miserables' " youngest players held their own. As young Cosette, 11-year-old Isabelle Allen dreamed of a "Castle on a Cloud," while as Gavroche, 13-year-old Daniel Huttlestone inspired rebellion with "Little People," "Do You Hear the People the Sing" and "One Day More." Huttlestone had already played Gavroche for a year in London's West End production and appeared in "Oliver!" for two years before helmer Tom Hooper cast him for the movie. So it's no surprise the musical theater vet was inked to star as Jack (of beanstalk fame) in Rob Marshall's upcoming adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim tuner "Into the Woods." Like Huttlestone, Allen is a product of English acting schools. She served as the model for the pic's iconic movie poster and next appears on the London stage in the Regent's Park Open Air Theater production of "The Sound of Music," which opens July 25.

FILM Many young actresses have dreamed of winning an Oscar; far fewer have imagined sharing a Palme d'Or. But that was exactly the strange, unprecedented honor this year's Cannes jury (headed by Steven Spielberg) bestowed upon 19-year-old Exarchopoulos, who received the festival's top prize along with director Abdellatif Kechiche and co-star Lea Seydoux for their intense lesbian love story, "Blue Is the Warmest Color." Despite having only a handful of credits (including Matthew Porterfield's "I Used to Be Darker"), the French-Greek thesp made such an impression on Kechiche that he cast her practically on sight and even renamed the lead character Adele.

FILM With Fox's 2012 Christmas release "Parental Guidance," director Fickman again demonstrated his talents for juggling kid actors alongside more seasoned adults, as he previously did with "The Game Plan" (2007) and "Race to Witch Mountain" (2009). The result was a surprising holiday hit -- Fickman's first -- that grossed nearly $120 million worldwide. In addition to stars Billy Crystal and Bette Midler, the "Parental Guidance" ensemble featured Bailee Madison, Joshua Rush and Kyle Harrison Breitkopf, who collectively broke free of a crowded Christmas frame to become the season's top choice for families.

FILM The animation vet has found a successful niche directing young-adult adaptations. His two previous films, "Hotel for Dogs" and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," collectively grossed almost $200 million at the worldwide box office. "Wimpy Kid" also launched a profitable franchise for Fox, the same studio that tapped German helmer Freudenthal to take the reins of another family-friendly franchise, "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters," which bows Aug. 7. Though the original earned just $226 million internationally, sales of the books have swelled since its February 2010 release, while 21-year-old star Logan Lerman expanded his fanbase in last year's sleeper hit "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."

FILM Like Abigail Breslin, Dakota Fanning and Chloe Grace Moretz, 13-year-old King is an acclaimed young actor at ease in a variety of genres, from comic kiddie fare ("Ramona and Beezus") to dramatic summer tentpoles ("The Dark Knight Rises") to paranormal horror ("The Conjuring"). King broke out as Beverly Cleary's iconic kidlit heroine Ramona Quimby in 2010 and has since starred in multiple box office successes. This year, she impressed critics as China Girl in Disney's "Oz the Great and Powerful," waved the American flag in the face of terrorists in "White House Down" and played one of several girls terrorized by a haunted house in "The Conjuring."

FILM The "Kids" scribe isn't afraid to push the envelope when it comes to depicting the nitty-gritty side of adolescence. With "Spring Breakers," the helmer gave Disney Channel alumnae Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez a chance to break free of their squeaky-clean images. The film, about a group of college girls who get mixed up with a drug ring while on spring break, became a mini-phenom at the domestic box office in March, grossing more than $14 million. By its release, Gomez was the only under-21 gal in the gang, which included Hudgens, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine, Harmony's wife.

FILM One-third of "The Twilight Saga's" love triangle, Lautner gets the girl -- though not the one he thought he wanted -- in the series' fifth and final installment, "Breaking Dawn -- Part 2." While Bella becomes Edward's vampire bride, Lautner's Jacob character imprints on their fast-growing infant daughter, Renesmee, in the concluding chapter. If $829 million in worldwide grosses are any indication, auds were content with that somewhat creepy-sounding resolution. Whether Lautner can sustain his career post-"Twilight" remains to be seen, however. "Grown Ups 2" already finds him poking fun at his own image; the pic opened strong with $42.5 million on July 12.

FILM They said "Life of Pi" was unfilmable, but Sharma made it possible. Discovered through a casting call in India, the relatable non-pro effectively carried Ang Lee's visionary adaptation, holding the screen opposite a computer-generated tiger in a film that ultimately grossed $609 million worldwide and drew nearly a dozen Oscar noms. Variety critic Justin Chang hailed the perf as "a terrifically engaging screen debut," noting that the actor "underwent considerable weight fluctuations for the role, and he compellingly manifests Pi's physical sufferings while maintaining a persuasive rapport with his four-legged co-star." The New Delhi-born Sharma is now filming Disney's "Million Dollar Arm" for director Craig Gillispie.

FILM Some child actors go the clean-scrubbed Disney route, while others naturally gravitate to darker material, the way Smit-McPhee did with post-apocalyptic "The Road" and vampire romance "Let Me In." (His father is former wrestler and "Sons of Anarchy" actor Andy McPhee, which might explain his tougher-than-average taste.) In the eyes of Laika Animation, the Australian actor's sensibility was perfect to topline its stop-motion "ParaNorman." The toon grossed $107 million worldwide and snagged an Oscar nom. Smit-McPhee's upcoming roles include "Romeo and Juliet" (as Benvolio); "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," which reunites him with "Let Me In" director Matt Reeves; and Jake Paltrow's sci-fi drama "Young Ones."

TELEVISION For a stretch of four years, Brit actor Highmore snagged some of the most sought-after moppet parts in Hollywood, from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to "The Spiderwick Chronicles." Then came the awkward years and the very real risk that Highmore might follow in Haley Joel Osment's footsteps, unable to transfer his career into adulthood ... until a unique chance to reinvent himself arose, allowing Highmore to play against type as the teenage Norman Bates opposite Vera Farmiga in A&E's "Bates Motel." The "contemporary prequel" to Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho" gave the 21-year-old's career fresh legs and became the second-most-watched new cable drama of the year.

TELEVISION The guy half of Disney Channel's "Austin & Ally" and star of its heavily promoted "Teen Beach Movie," Lynch embodies the sort of musical multitalent that thrives on the kid-focused cabler. Offscreen, the blond 17-year-old serves as lead singer of R5, a band comprising his siblings and a friend, which recently put out EP "Loud" on Hollywood Records, winning a Radio Disney Music Award for his "Heard It on the Radio" musicvideo in May. Onscreen, "Austin & Ally" (which was recently renewed for a third season) is the top series among kids 2-11, kids 6-11 and tweens 9-14, generating the No. 1 kids album soundtrack.

TELEVISION It's not unusual to find multiple young talents in the same family, though few sibs manage to achieve the success of Marano sisters Laura and Vanessa. Vanessa, 20, plays lead Bay Kennish on ABC Family's critically acclaimed drama "Switched at Birth." And Laura, 17, plays Ally in Disney Channel's hit "Austin & Ally." The girls, whose mother is also an actress, began performing at Agoura Children's Theater when Laura was 5 and Vanessa was 7. They booked some national commercials and multiple guest-starring roles on television, and both recurred on CBS' "Without a Trace" as the daughters of Jack Malone. Vanessa has had other meaty television roles, including "The Comeback," "Gil­more Girls" and top-rated daytime soap "The Young and the Restless." She also played the lead in this year's Lifetime movie "Restless Virgins." Laura also has a penchant for songwriting and is recording her own music -- one of the reasons she gravitated toward "Austin & Ally."

TELEVISION After their respective shows ended on Nickelodeon, the kid cabler partnered "iCarly" sidekick Jennette McCurdy and "Victorious" goofball Ariana Grande for "Sam & Cat," which debuted June 8 to 4.2 million viewers. The show has since kept up its momentum, remaining among the top 10 and scoring nearly 3 million viewers the last week of June. Grande, 20, is also a singer, signed to Republic Records, with a Billboard Top 10 single "The Way" from her album "Daydreamin' " (scheduled for release in August). She's been nommed for a slew of Teen Choice Awards, and YouTube recordings of her perfs have racked up more than 200 million views. On the acting side, Grande also has Nick telepic "Swindle" upcoming. McCurdy, 21, also appears as part of the "Swindle" ensemble, as well as in tuner "The Goree Girls." Like Grande, McCurdy is also pursuing a singing path, releasing the songs "Stronger" and "Not That Far Away" on a 2010 EP with Capitol Nashville. She left the label last summer, but has kept busy acting in the interim. Bridgit Mendler Like much of her tween following, the heir to the Disney Channel throne still isn't old enough to buy a drink. Bridgit Mendler, 20, began her rise to Mouse House fame in 2009, when she landed a recurring role on "Wizards of Waverly Place." From there, the multi-talented thesp went on to star in the hit Disney series "Good Luck Charlie," while releasing her debut album in 2012. With "Charlie" slated to come to a close early next year, Mendler's combo of singing and acting (the tried-and-true pairing for Disney starlets) leaves her set for success ... no reliance on "Luck" needed.

TELEVISION Like much of her tween following, the heir to the Disney Channel throne still isn't old enough to buy a drink. Bridgit Mendler, 20, began her rise to Mouse House fame in 2009, when she landed a recurring role on "Wizards of Waverly Place." From there, the multi-talented thesp went on to star in the hit Disney series "Good Luck Charlie," while releasing her debut album in 2012. With "Charlie" slated to come to a close early next year, Mendler's combo of singing and acting (the tried-and-true pairing for Disney starlets) leaves her set for success ... no reliance on "Luck" needed.

TELEVISION The real-life sisters (offspring of Canadian country group the Stellas) play Connie Britton's daughters on ABC's "Nashville." Last fall, the girls performed "Telescope," which made the first-season soundtrack, and then stole the show this spring with their performance of "Ho Hey" by the Lumineers. Lennon, 13, is the main vocalist, while Maisy, 9, provides the harmonies. Both girls play the guitar, ukulele and other instruments. Lennon also flexed her acting muscles as part of a pivotal storyline involving the true identity of her character's father. The girls have played the Grand Ole Opry twice, and in June played before 60,000 for CMA Music Festival Week. Their cover of Robyn's song "Call Your Girlfriend" was a YouTube sensation last year with more than 19 million views.

TELEVISION Despite all the importance put on legitimate first-born sons and rightful heirs in HBO's "Game of Thrones," it's looking like the Stark child who inherited her father's crafty survival and combat skills is Ned's youngest daughter, Arya. With gritted teeth and cold, calculating eyes, English teen Williams plays this tomboy hell-bent on revenge and reuniting what's left of her family as those around her fall. It's clear the actress herself has fun with the part. She won the Internet when she posted a bug-eyed, jerky-motion Twitter Vine reaction to the "Red Wedding" episode, the third season's most talked-about moment.

MUSIC It may be tough to muster huge amounts of sympathy for a kid who's been phenomenally wealthy and famous since puberty, but spare a thought for Bieber. Now 19, the multiplatinum popster has had to contend with his baby steps toward adulthood all taking place in the public eye, leading to a year marked by controversy: a mysterious marijuana stash in his tour bus, a bust-up with British paparazzi, a bout of onstage vomiting and video of the performer relieving himself in a mop bucket all made worldwide headlines over the past year. Yet the year also saw the Biebs notch two No. 1 albums and cut a ubiquitous single in "Boyfriend," and he'll soon complete a gargantuan global tour that proved his popularity has scarcely begun to abate. If only all of Bieber's bad years could be this good.

MUSIC As electronic dance music encroaches into the mainstream, the barriers of entry seem to grow weaker every day, with an army of questionably talented button-pushers dominating the landscape. This made it all the more exciting when French DJ Madeon started turning heads through straightforward displays of mixing virtuosity and flair on his YouTube channel. After accruing millions of video views, the 19-year-old born Hugo Pierre Leclercq has quickly become a proper star, playing at this year's Ultra and Coachella festivals, and even opening some stadium dates for Lady Gaga and Swedish House Mafia. His songs have also been featured on "Dancing With the Stars" and licensed for videogames.

MUSIC In the years since Justin Bieber rocketed to stardom on the back of his YouTube presence, there have been enough "next Justin Biebers" diligently copying the formula to fill several Justin Bieber concerts. Yet 17-year-old Mahone has a stronger claim to that title than most. On the viral video strength of his covers (including, yes, some Bieber tunes) and original composition "11:11," the Texas teen secured a deal with Universal Republic Records, appeared on tour with label-mate Taylor Swift, and recently recruited Midas-fingered songwriter and producer RedOne as a collaborator. Debut album "Junior Year" is due in the fall.

MUSIC Atlanta rapper MattyB (born Matthew Morris) has been racking up achievements that would give any unsigned MC pause. Though he's only been making music for three years, the rapper has amassed more than half a billion views on YouTube, and his social media presence reaches more than two million fans. He's appeared on "The Today Show" and, like many a striver before him, has rapped alongside Wendy Williams. Despite not having a record deal, he recently sold out two nights at New York's Gramercy Theater and a stint at L.A.'s 2,100-capacity Club Nokia. And perhaps most impressively, he's done all of this prior to starting fourth grade in the fall.

MUSIC Though often considered the best pure rapper in L.A.'s Odd Future collective, 19-year-old Sweatshirt missed out on the group's meteoric rise to nationwide notoriety. While his compatriots Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean were busy striking Adult Swim development deals and winning Grammys, Earl was marooned at a Samoan boot camp for troubled teens. Now that Earl is free, he seems eager to make up for lost time. He cut a guest verse on Ocean's No. 1 "Channel Orange" record, logged a buzzy set at last spring's Coachella fest, and his Columbia Records debut is set to feature production from the likes of the RZA and Pharrell Williams.

LEGIT (THEATER) "Motown: The Musical" opened on Broadway in April and already one of its juvenile leads, Jibreel Mawry, has outgrown his trifecta of roles: Little Stevie Wonder and the young Michael Jackson and Berry Gordy. "He grew a foot in a month," says helmer Charles Randolph Wright. "It's horrible to have to replace them because they grow and their voices change. Luckily they can come back soon as a Temptation." The 10-year-old Darius Kaleb now alternates in those roles with the 13-year-old Raymond Luke Jr., who wowed auds on opening night with his renditions of "ABC" and "I Want You Back." Luke sounds like Jackson, but he insists, "That's my voice!"

LEGIT (THEATER) Young actors Bailey Ryon, Milly Shapiro, Sophia Gennusa and Oona Laurence shared a special Tony for their work in "Matilda." At 10 years old, the four dynamos are sharing the most demanding youth role on Broadway since "Billy Elliot": The entire stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's slightly cracked tale of a young girl fighting back against buffoonish parents and a cruel headmistress rests on their slender shoulders as they tackle a part that demands song, dance, monologues and a British accent. Although each girl has plenty of individual personality (Milly loves pies, Sophia digs bacon), what's remarkable is the genuine friendship that binds the quartet. Special care has been taken to keep things noncompetitive: The kids divvy up each week's eight perfs by lottery, so auds don't know who they'll get until they sit down for the show.

DIGITAL The Swedish programmer's Minecraft game has turned kids of all ages into content creators. Merchandise, conventions and user-generated YouTube postings (Sky Does Minecraft registers millions of views a week) have created a global community of Minecrafters. Although the graphics look only slightly better than an early-'80s Atari game, Minecraft sold more than 20 million copies since 2010 and generated $237 million in revenue for maker Mojang last year. Persson has since developed another game, Scrolls.

DIGITAL The youth-savvy TV vet launched his career with such Nick hits as "Kenan & Kel" and "The Amanda Show," then went on to exec produce several slightly older-skewing series, including "Smallville" and "One Tree Hill." Today, Robbins heads AwesomenessTV, a YouTube channel geared toward young auds that has garnered more than a billion views since its launch in May 2012, hosting such Web series as "Runaways" and "Cheerleaders," and providing an online platform for video stars Gracie Dzienny, Audrey Whitby, Meaghan Dowling and Bethany Mota. AwesomenessTV also produced theatrical concert doc "Mindless Behavior: All Around the World." DreamWorks Animation acquired the brand earlier this year for a whopping $33 million up front, and AwesomenessTV made its broadcast launch this summer on Nickelodeon, bringing Robbins' career full circle.

AGENTS/MANAGERS CESD agent and senior VP Gossett is all about discovery and building careers: Dylan Minnette has been with Gossett for 10 years; Danielle Campbell ("The Originals"), more than 10. Among the fresh faces, Juliette Goglia landed the role of Michael J. Fox's daughter in his new sitcom, Pierce Gagnon wowed in "Looper" and Connor Jessup had "Falling Skies." After completing a four-year tour of duty at United Talent Agency, Gossett returned to CESD in 2012. The tenpercentery just experienced its best pilot season in 47 years. "I am a fierce advocate for my clients and share the passion they have for their art in helping them realize their goals. I try to do that by being reasonable," he says.

AGENTS/MANAGERS Grasham grew into his role as APA's premier young-talent agent organically. "We had a lot of younger talent at the agency, and we didn't have any agent that was covering the youth business (exclusively)," says Grasham, who has been at APA for a little more than 10 years. During his tenure, Grasham has significantly expanded APA's presence in youth representation. His client list includes such TV regulars as Austin Abrams, Ryan Newman, Sterling Knight, Brett Davern, Gage Golightly and Chloe Bridges. Grasham notes that his greatest satisfaction is taking risks with clients, but "you set very strategic expectations," he says. "Younger talent is the future."

AGENTS/MANAGERS As a manager, Greene uses her own youth (she just turned 30) to her advantage. "I have a really good pulse on what's hip and cool," she says. At Monster Talent, she brings fresh energy while Bob Noll ("my mentor and boss") represents experience. By keeping her client list small, Greene is able to give her clients personal attention -- one reason "Shake It Up" star Zendaya works exclusively with Greene, and has no agent. Greene went to every taping of "Dancing With the Stars" last season, where Zendaya finished second. "I love my job. I can sit around eating Snickers with a bunch of 9-year-olds!" she says.

AGENTS/MANAGERS With such clients as Jared Gilmore, Noah Lomax, Khylin Rhambo, Jack Griffo and Curtis Harris, reps Jolley and Perea are having a strong run at their agency, Amsel Eisenstadt & Frazier, but closing deals are not what the duo live for. "The way we operate here is that we like to look at the whole picture. We want (our clients) to be growing as actors and want them to be healthy and growing as people, too. It's been a really good collaboration," says Jolley, who was a child behavior therapist before launching her biz career. "Some of the hardest decisions are the healthiest."

AGENTS/MANAGERS When he started out as an entertainment attorney 14 years ago, Spilo had no intention of becoming a youth specialist, "but guiding people from zero to 100 is something very special," he says. As a partner at Industry Entertainment, the manager shepherded such clients as Kal Penn, Mae Whitman and Jared Padalecki through the transition from adolescent to adult actors. This past year, he helped Joey King book several high-profile roles, newcomer Dove Cameron score her own Disney Channel series, and Aussie discovery Ed Oxenbould beat out 1,400 kids for the lead in "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day."

AGENTS/MANAGERS Although ICM partner Wiles' client list doesn't focus exclusively on teen talent, some of her most successful clients also happen to be the youngest: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Daniel Huttlestone, Onata Aprile ("What Maisie Knew"), Jared Gilman ("Moonrise Kingdom") and Willow Shields ("The Hunger Games"). "The folks I work with, whether they're 9 or 99, are material- and director-oriented. Something that's challenging and scary is the right project for them. Kodi was always made for those roles; he is that deep an actor," says Wiles, who sees no limitations to what her clients can accomplish. "You don't have parameters about what a client is today, but what is possible."