Hugh Jackman feels he has the ''best of both worlds'' living in New York and Australia.

'The Wolverine' star lit New York's Empire State Building in green and gold for Australia Day yesterday (24.01.14), and says he's very happy that he, his wife, Deborra-lee Furness and their children Eva, eight and Maximilian, 13, get to live there.

He told website The Huffington Post: ''Australia is our home. We've been there, but New York has been our base for awhile. We love living here, the opportunities are incredible, particularly for my job.

''It means I can work internationally and still be at home a lot more. You know, we miss Australia a lot, but New York is a great city and it's a great place to bring your kids up.

''[And] we go back to Australia a lot. I shot three movies here [in the US] in the last five years, so we've been back there two-and-a-half years in the last five years. Deb and I feel we get the best of both worlds.''

Hugh, 45, also expressed his happiness at being cast as Blackbeard in the new film 'Pan', based on the story of Peter Pan.

He said: ''I love it. I love the director Joe Wright, I love working with Warner Bros. and I think this is just really exciting. It's a very cool project. And it's wonderful for my kids!''