Deadpool & Wolverine owes much to its characters riffing off a real-life 20-year friendship which, its stars says, is founded on respect – for all its low blows and joviality

Catherine Shoard

Fri 12 Jul 2024 17.09 BST

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The enduring friendship between the actors Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman was unpacked in irreverent detail in London on Friday, as the pair premiered their new movie, Deadpool & Wolverine.

The stars, who frequently tease one another both in the press and on X, take the leads in Marvel’s latest blockbuster, which sees foul-mouthed superhero Deadpool (Reynolds) exhume and then team-up with the beleaguered Wolverine (Jackman), seven years after his apparent death in 2017’s Logan.

Speaking at a press conference, Reynolds and director Shaun Levy said they had been scrambling for ideas to continue the franchise until Jackman agreed to return. Rejected pitches included a film in which it is revealed Deadpool was the hunter who shot Bambi’s mother.

Reynolds and Jackman. Photograph: Eamonn M McCormack/Getty Images for The Walt Disney Company Limited

Marvel boss Kevin Feige swiftly shot down the idea, reported Reynolds. “They were like: we don’t fuck with Bambi.”

Jackman, meanwhile, said both creativity and accountancy were imperatives behind his surprise return. “I was broke,” he said. “I was doing theatre.” Reynolds confirmed: “The money for his skincare regime alone would bankrupt you.”

Jackman praised his colleague’s prowess at physical comedy, recalling that, “when I go to Ryan’s house, which I do a lot because he’s very rarely there as a father, there’s always a TV playing Turner Classic Movies. And it’s often Buster Keaton.

“Ryan is a modern-day Keaton or Charlie Chaplin. It’s that level of expertise. And you don’t have to be a great dad when you’ve got that talent.”

Reynolds concurred, saying his children “will pave over all of that trauma with daddy’s accomplishments. And, you know, the kids of celebrities – they’re fine.”

He described the moment he once returned home to find his four daughters rewatching their favourite film, The Greatest Showman, with its star – Jackman – acting out the movements in front of the TV.

“I’m like: you little bastards, you have no idea just how good you got it. They won’t appreciate this for 20 years.”

The two men agreed that their new film’s USP was its antagonist – yet occasionally flirtatious – characters riffing off a real-life friendship which, for all its joviality, was founded on mutual respect.

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“We’ve known each other for almost two decades,” said Reynolds, “and been through a lot together. And he and I are very outwardly jokey, but in real life, most of our conversations are intense and emotional.”

Jackman, he continued, was “the best, as advertised, everything you wish he was and more. I’ve never met somebody with that level of integrity.”

Reynolds recalled watching Jackman at work on a film set in 2007 and realising he was “not only great, but kind and grounded and understood the mission of unity on that set and knew everybody’s name. And I remember thinking to myself: if I am ever lucky enough to be in his position, I hope I’m just one 10th of that man.”

He added: “And now that I’m so much bigger than him, I’ve taken many of those lessons. I’ve realised that I’m too big to fail at this point, so I just crush my enemies and drink their blood.”

While children’s sequels have sustained the summer box office so far, with Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out 2 breaking records and Illumination/Universal’s Despicable Me 4 following hot on its heels, it is widely anticipated more adult fare will dominate going forward.

Reynolds and Jackman. Photograph: StillMoving.Net/REX/Shutterstock

Deadpool & Wolverine – the first superhero movie of the year – is expected to become the highest-grossing R-rated film ever in the US after its worldwide release on 25 July. Later in the season, sequels to Joker, Venom and Gladiator will take the baton.

Reynolds said the creative freedom Feige permitted his film-makers was crucial to the new film’s appeal, with potshots at both 20th Century Fox and the studio which acquired them in 2019 not only permitted but encouraged.

“I feel like Disney’s kind of fair game,” said Reynolds. “A gigantic capitalist machine. I don’t feel I’m gonna get a lot of hate mail over that.”

The high anticipation and deep fan commitment to the series was, by contrast, something they were keen to foster. The stars were vocal in their agreement that not revealing spoilers was the most challenging aspect of the press tour.

“I hate it,” said Reynolds. “It’s the worst. We live in constant terror. I’ve been on the brink of disaster six times in the last five days.”

He said the wildest rumour he’d heard about the film so far was that King Charles III was going to make an appearance. “And we had a moment where we thought: could we make that happen?” All approaches appear to have been unsuccessful.

Speaking on Thursday, the actors expressed optimism for England’s chances in the Euros final on Sunday, with Jackman predicting “Harry Kane is scoring a hat-trick”.

Reynolds, meanwhile, whose ownership of Welsh team AFC Wrexham has propelled the club to considerable success and notoriety, said: “I’m a believer. I think England’s got the stuff.

“This is the moment,” he continued. “It’s gotta be coming home.”