For years, fans of Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman have felt like the third wheel in a passionate bromance. The Hollywood stars often share on social media how they prank, tease and joke with each other, spending a lot of time together—especially since Jackman announced his divorce from Deborra-Lee Furness, his wife of 27 years. The 20-year relationship between Reynolds and Jackman is arguably one of the most public, loud and stable friendships in the industry.
These days, moviegoers are getting to experience this bromance on the big screen as the two friends star together once again. After Reynolds portrayed Deadpool in the 2007 film X-Men Origins: Wolverine, they reunite in the new summer blockbuster from Marvel Studios, Deadpool & Wolverine.
Deadpool & Wolverine trailer
Reynolds reprises his role as the red-suited, foul-mouthed superhero Deadpool, while Jackman returns as the gruff, clawed Wolverine—seven years after what was supposed to be his final portrayal of the character in 2017's Logan.
‘We don’t mess with Bambi'
At a press conference in London, Reynolds and director Shawn Levy (who directed Reynolds in Free Guy and The Adam Project, and Jackman in Real Steel) admitted that they had been trying for several years to find the right concept for the third installment in the successful Deadpool franchise.
“What ideas didn’t we consider?” says Reynolds. “I even suggested that Deadpool should be the hunter who shot Bambi’s mother, but Kevin [Feige, the boss at Marvel], immediately shot that down: ‘We don’t mess with Bambi,’ he told me.”
Jackman shares that he informed the studio that after Logan, he was done with the character of Wolverine, putting it to rest and saying goodbye. Three days after wrapping up filming for Logan, he sat down to watch the first Deadpool film, and 15 minutes in, he thought to himself, “Damn, I wish I had seen this before I killed off Logan.”
It’s worth reminding readers that Jackman was offered a role in the film, but he declined. Over the next five years, Jackman, feeling he had missed an opportunity, thought that Deadpool and Wolverine could be excellent on screen together.
“I remember the exact date, August 14, 2022,” he recalls. “I was driving and felt it was time, that I wanted to play Wolverine again, and I wanted to do it with Ryan. This was our moment. I called Ryan and said, ‘Ryan, let’s do it.’ Honestly, I was broke at the time because I was doing theater,” he jokes.
“Just your grooming routine would bankrupt you,” Reynolds quips in a typical exchange between the two. “I thought it was just amazing,” Reynolds continues, “that three hours after Hugh called, Shawn and I were supposed to meet with the top brass at Marvel to pitch our idea for the third film—and that call changed everything. We said, ‘Okay, we’re bringing Hugh back as Wolverine, we’re bringing the heart of the story, and we can go from there.’”
The film sees Wolverine returning to the big screen, coming back from the dead. His path crosses with Deadpool’s, and the unlikely duo teams up to defeat a common enemy.
“Once we found the heart of the movie, the ‘how’ came quickly, and it was a lot of fun to write because we incorporated Hugh’s thoughts and ideas into the script,” Reynolds cautiously explains. “We first wrote the concept. Initially, you don’t want to write comedy; you have to write what works emotionally and visually. The comedy comes afterward.”
Both actors admit that much of the DNA of the characters and dialogue in the film is based on their real-life friendship, which carries a lot of childishness and humor but is built on mutual respect.
“We’ve known each other for two decades,” says Reynolds. “We’ve been through a lot together. Yes, there’s a lot of joking and loud humor between us, but in our daily lives, most of our conversations are intense and emotional.” The actor continues to gush, saying Jackman is “the best there is, just like all the reports say. He’s everything you’d hope he would be and more. I’ve never met anyone with such a level of internal integrity.”
“I think this is a great place to stop,” Jackman jokes, looking slightly embarrassed, but Reynolds is unstoppable. He continues, recalling the time he saw Jackman working on the set of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009, a film that was difficult to shoot. Jackman’s behavior on set made him realize that he was not only a great actor but also “a kind-hearted person with a calming presence who keeps his feet on the ground. He understood what was required of him, understood the mission of unity on set, and remembered the name of everyone there. I remember thinking to myself, ‘If I’m ever lucky enough to be in that position, I hope I’m a tenth of the person he is.’”
Reynolds then added, “And now that I’m much bigger than him and have learned many lessons from him, I understand I’m too big to fail at this point, so I crush my enemies and drink their blood.”
“It’s easier when there’s a deep and brave friendship at the heart of the work,” adds Levy. “The three of us came to the project with the same passion and love for the characters, and these feelings were always our North Star. Through them, we could decide what was right for Logan and the story. But the truth is, the magic of this film comes from the cosmic connection of these two characters because, in the end, it’s a movie about friendship, and I think the film’s emotion is one of its subversive elements, allowing us real freedom in writing the dialogue.”
'You ungrateful little brats, you have no idea how good you have it'
When Reynolds was asked how he copes as an actor with losing one of an actor’s main tools—facial expressions, as Deadpool’s face is mostly covered by a mask—he replied that he feels the opposite is true.
“It’s empowering when every gesture, every small or large movement, conveys emotions. My voice has to carry a heavy load, and so does my body. I’ve never felt freer than with this mask on my face, as strange as it sounds. I truly love and enjoy it and don’t take it for granted.”
“I have to say, I’ve watched Ryan play this character for years, and I’m amazed by him every time,” Jackman compliments his friend. “When I visit Ryan’s house—and I visit a lot because he’s hardly there and barely functions as a dad,” he adds with a smile, “classic films are always playing on his TV, and often, they’re Buster Keaton movies. Ryan is the Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin of our time, that’s the level of expertise he has, and you don’t need to be a good dad when you have such talent.”
“Well, my kids will pave their way out of this trauma thanks to their dad’s achievements,” Reynolds immediately replies, “and you know celebrity kids are fine.”
Reynolds describes a moment when he returned home to find his four daughters watching their favorite movie, The Greatest Showman, for the umpteenth time, with Jackman singing and performing his role from the film alongside them. "I thought to myself, 'You ungrateful little brats, you have no idea how good you have it.' They'll only appreciate this magical moment 20 years from now."
When asked why he thinks audiences are so drawn to and love antiheroes, Reynolds responds that he finds it difficult to be interested in superheroes like Superman. Clark Kent, on the other hand, is fascinating to him. "I think it's the loss, the pain, the vulnerability that makes them interesting, and from these places, they want to save, help, and set an example. As people, we can relate to that. We’re all in touch with our emotions, but it's hard for us to acknowledge our dark sides in the same way, to live authentically in our own skin. Antiheroes do that—they live and feel the full spectrum, and I think that’s admirable. I’d love to live that freely."
While children's movies like Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 have been the biggest box office hits of the summer so far, Deadpool & Wolverine is the first superhero movie of the year, smashing box office records.
Reynolds, for his part, says the creative freedom given by Kevin Feige was crucial to the film's charm and appeal. This is no small feat, considering it's Deadpool's first outing under Marvel after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, and the parent company isn't usually keen on such wild content.
According to Reynolds, Feige said that everything is permissible with Deadpool, including jabs at Fox and Disney. "I feel Disney is a fair target," he says, "a giant capitalist machine. I don’t think I’ll get a lot of hate mail for saying that."