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'I was so embarrassed': Hugh Jackman on The Late Show admits to Stephen Colbert gaffe involving eminent anti-poverty activist

Published: 02:53 EST, 24 September 2015 | Updated: 03:35 EST, 24 September 2015

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Australian actor Hugh Jackman has survived a few gaffes in his time – including mistaking the eminent anti-poverty activist Hugh Evans for a waiter.

The 46-year-old actor admitted his blunder when appearing on The Late Show With Steven Colbert on Wednesday night.

Jackman appeared with Evans, 29, founder of the Global Citizen Festival – a movement that is tackling extreme poverty on an ambitious global scale.

Global effort: Hugh Jackman appeared on The Late Show on Wednesday and talked about the effort to end extreme poverty worldwide

The X-Men star confessed that he had asked Evans to fetch him a gin and tonic while he was attending the prestigious 2020 Conference in Australia in 2008.

'Our Prime Minister had brought together 1,000 Aussies to try and work out what we wanted the country to look like twelve years on,' he said.

'There was a guy in a black suit and white shirt…and I presumed it was the waiter…you were about 12 at the time,' he grinned to Evans.

Good one: The Late Show host Stephen Colbert cracked a joke about the goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030

'He was actually one of the delegates,' he added, with a grimace.

'He was the Young Australian of the Year. I was so embarrassed, like I'd asked him to get me a drink,' he cringed.

'But three hours later we were still talking and that's when I realised that of course, like most people in the world, we want to see an end to extreme poverty…but any idea I had was kind of redundant after talking to Hugh, so I said ''listen Hugh, I just want to jump on board, whatever you're doing I'm in'' and this is it, he recalled.

Funny story: Jackman recalled how he thought Evans was a waiter when they first met

The two Hughs joked that they were trying to avoid the future portrayed in the Australian movie Mad Max: Fury Road.

'That is Australia right now,' joshed Jackman, who was nicknamed 'Huge Jacked-Man' by Colbert at the start of the show.

The Global Citizen initiative aims to end extreme poverty worldwide by 2030.

He's on board: The X-Men star joined the cause after speaking with Evans for hours

'It's refreshing to meet someone that actually thinks there will be a world in 2030, you know that Donald Trump is leading the polls right?' joked Colbert.

The Global Citizen Festival is on Saturday in New York City's Central Park. Performers will include Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Pearl Jam and Coldplay.

'You can't buy your way in, you have to take action in some way,' said Evans, who suggested that members of the public sign petitions, lobby politicians and appeal to members of the UN.

Taking action: Evans said people can't buy their way into the Global Citizen Festival on Saturday

The UN, now 70 years old, is currently holding its General Assembly in New York City.

'The last 20 years have been the most successful anti poverty push in all of history,' said Evans, who advocated that this is a particularly good time to support the UN's goals.

Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, aka 'The Sheriff of Wall Street', was also interviewed on the talk show.

Economic reform: Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts also appeared on the chat show

'She's has launched a one-woman crusade against the billionaire class, she's like Batman but her enemy is Bruce Wayne,' quipped Colbert, 51.

'You are one of the few household names who is not running for President of the United States,' he told her.

'The game is rigged,' she answered.

Batman reference: Colber compared Senator Warren to Batman

'I'm talking about our country and how it's run. Look at our country, the richest country on earth, we have so much going for us and yet we have a federal government that works great for millionaires, it works great for billionaires, it works great for giant corporations, anybody that can hire an army of lobbyists, an army of lawyers, get lots of campaign money,' she declared.

'For the rest of America it's just not working, it's time to take that government back,' urged the politician, who proposes investment in education and infrastructure, like after the Great Depression.

'It worked, GDP went up,' she said, citing the rise of 'America's great middle class' between 1935 and 1980.