Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds are reuniting after 15 long years in their respective X-Men roles in Deadpool & Wolverine. Jackman played the character of Wolverine in nine Fox X-Men movies, including the cameos, before he hung up his suit after Logan. He believed that he was done with the role until Ryan Reynolds brought him back into it.
During a recent interview, Jackman came across an old video message to Reynolds asking the Green Lantern actor to stop coming after him to reprise the role. The Greatest Showman actor was so sure that he had no role in the Marvel multiverse that he had to eat his own words a couple of years later.
Hugh Jackman Once Said That He Would Never Reprise His Wolverine Role In Marvel’s Multiverse
Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds will come to the big screens this weekend to bring Marvel back to its old glory with Deadpool & Wolverine. The actors and their director Shawn Levy are having very busy days promoting their films. During one promotional interview, Jackman was unexpectedly shown one of his older video messages where he clearly stated that he was done with Wolverine.
In the interview with Jake’s Takes, the interviewer shared that the last time he spoke to Jackman, the X-Men actor had given him a message to deliver to Reynolds. It was a two or three-year-old video, which preceded the official announcement of the movie in September 2022.
Jackman couldn’t recall the exact message, but he jokingly stated that there was a time when he hated Reynolds and hoped that it was not from that time. He also joked that they had fixed things between them since after undergoing a lot of therapy. Jackman shared with Jake’s Takes:
There was a period in time where I didn’t like him and I hope it’s not during that period. I hope this because we really fixed that up and we did a lot of therapy.
In the video, the interviewer asked him whether he would reprise the Wolverine role in Marvel’s Multiverse under any circumstance. The Australian actor shared that while he held the character close to his heart, he was done with the role. He also wanted the interviewer to convey the message to Ryan Reynolds who believed his position at the time to be a joke. Jackman shared in the old video:
It’s still a character I hold close to my heart but I know it’s done. Tell that to whoever you want but please tell it to Ryan. Cuz he’s like doesn’t believe it. He thinks I’m joking.
Eventually, Reynolds was able to convince Jackman to take on the role. It would be the best thing that happened to Jackman, Deadpool films, and Marvel. From what fans see, they are sure that these actors would’ve nailed their roles in the upcoming film.
According To Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman Gave His All To The Role
Ryan Reynolds shared in an interview with PEOPLE that he couldn’t believe what Hugh Jackman did for his role in Deadpool & Wolverine. He shared that it was not just the aesthetic transformation that he was talking about but also the relentless dedication to performing the stunt choreography.
He added that the Real Steel actor excelled in fight scenes with speed and confidence. Reynolds shared (via PEOPLE | YouTube):
You hit your marks with speed and confidence, the likes of which I have never seen. It was the first time I’d ever seen how invaluable background in song and dance is when you are doing an action movie.
Jackman shared that he had returned to dance classes to train for his role. It was a tip from Brian Smrz, the stunt coordinator who had worked with both of them on X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Smrz would explain to Jackman how dance classes bring “a mixture of relaxation with the strength that you need”.
Besides the stunts, Jackman admitted that the hardest part about returning to the role was to maintain a 5-6 meals per day diet. He found it very difficult for his naturally skinny body type, but he shared that he learned a lot from Reynolds’ dedicated diet for the movie.
Deadpool & Wolverine hits theaters on July 26th.
