After what seemed like an eternity, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s Deadpool & Wolverine is finally here and the fans couldn’t be happier. The theatres are filled with Deadpool/Wolverine enthusiasts, shouting and screaming at the screen as not a single one of them could contain their excitement. Whether it was the epic action scenes or the unimaginable cameos, Deadpool & Wolverine has successfully established itself as the perfect theatre experience you just cannot miss out on.
A fair warning, the next sentence contains a tiny spoiler for Deadpool 3. In the opening scene of the film, we get to see Deadpool busting out some serious moves on NSYNC’s iconic song, Bye Bye Bye. While fans were shocked to see Ryan Reynolds pull off such complicated choreography, the truth is that it wasn’t him behind the mask at all – it was professional dancer Nick Pauley all this time.
Meet Ryan Reynolds’ Dance Double in Deadpool & Wolverine
NSYNC’s entire career has been iconic, there’s no debate there. However, Bye Bye Bye has a separate fanbase for itself. Even though it was released all the way back in 2000, the song is quite timeless and I’m pretty sure people who aren’t even fans of the band can still sing it word-to-word, without missing a single beat. It’s a jam, a legendary break-up song, and a classic.
Therefore, when the soundtrack for Deadpool & Wolverine was revealed, fans were both stoked and excited to see how Bye Bye Bye would be incorporated into the film.
The tracklist for #DeadpoolAndWolverine is here! 🎵
Pre-order the vinyl now: https://t.co/QdsY8CE0dt
Get tickets to see the film in theaters July 26. pic.twitter.com/mLUAczoD9i— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) July 17, 2024
After watching the film, we can say that the song was used in the best way possible – by showing Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool jamming out to it with a full-fledged choreography. Except, it wasn’t Reynolds pulling off those moves.
The man behind those epic opening credits is professional dancer Nick Pauley who has previously worked in The Prom (2020) and Katy Perry’s music video for Chained to the Rhythm, among others.
Pauley has proudly displayed his work on Instagram, as he should, so the world can see just how incredible of a dancer he actually is. From being one of Doja Cat’s dancers in Get Into It (Yuh) to dancing with Meryl Streep in The Prom, Pauley has proven through his work why he deserves all the recognition in the world.
The dancer recently posted a photo of himself in the iconic red and black Deadpool suit, revealing that he was actually the man behind ‘Dancepool’ all along.
View this post on Instagram
Pauley wrote a lengthy caption stating how difficult it had been to keep the secret all this time. He said, “I can’t believe I have the honor of being @vancityreynolds “dance” double for the opening scene of the entire movie!!! Like what?!? What is life?”
He thanked Reynolds and director Shawn Levy for their “encouragement and enthusiasm” and in the end, urged people to go and watch Deadpool 3.
Chris Pratt may have danced his heart out to Redbone’s Come and Get Your Love in Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), but even that has nothing on what Pauley just pulled off!
Fans React to Nick Pauley’s Reveal
After watching Deadpool 3 in theatres, fans were confused as to how and when Reynolds got so good at dancing. That is, until they became of Pauley’s involvement in the film and suddenly everything made sense.
After Pauley’s post started making rounds on social media, fans had a variety of reactions to the reveal. While some were taken aback, they applauded the dancer for his work.
On the other hand, some fans stated that they knew right from the start that Reynolds couldn’t pull off those moves. Take a look at what some of the fans had to say about Pauley’s ‘Dancepool’:
Wait, what? @VancityReynolds can't dance??
— VeVeMeister 🎮 (@Der_Vevemeister) July 27, 2024
He nailed it perfectly!!
— Jessica Dickson (@jjd022980) July 27, 2024
The new goat lmaoooo
— Uncle Vaughn👈🏾 (@The_Vaughn_) July 27, 2024
this was the first question i had walking out of the theater lmaoooo there was just no way it was ryan. this dude devoured
— crit🦦 (@criticalxerror) July 27, 2024
I knew Ryan wasn’t pulling off those type of moves😭
— WhiteEyes (@WhiteEyes08) July 27, 2024
Oh come on, I thought it was Ryan❗️ Thought he learned it from the Best… Stray Kids‼️
— J-Tran #FreePalestine 🇵🇸🍉 (@JohnTran101) July 26, 2024
We cannot wait to see where Pauley’s dance takes him next as we are pretty sure that after the stunt he pulled in Deadpool 3, his career trajectory will only go upwards.
Deadpool & Wolverine is now playing in theatres.
