Aronofsky saw Hugh Jackman perform as Peter Allen in the Broadway musical "The Boy from Oz" and was impressed with his performance. The director met with Jackman, who sought "a role that could show a lot of dimension," and cast him into the lead role in "The Fountain". Jackman starred previously as the muscular character Wolverine in the "X-Men" films, so for "The Fountain", he exercised to adopt a slimmer figure. Jackman practiced t'ai chi for seven months to demonstrate it in a 30-second scene. He also practiced yoga for over a year to achieve the lotus position for scenes set in space. For these scenes when he is seen in the position in mid-air, he was immersed in a swimming pool and harnessed to a rig that rotated him 360 degrees so his clothes floated freely about him.