‘I implored him’: Ryan Reynolds forced Marvel to hire A-list star after refusing to play this ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ character

Deadpool & Wolverine was almost short one of its mind-blowing cameos as it turns out one multiversal character who shows up in the superhero blockbuster was originally supposed to be played by Ryan Reynolds himself…

The Deadpool Corps fight scene is one of the most blood-pumping, and blood-spilling, parts of the movie, with the epic action sequence seeing Wade Wilson and Logan slicing and dicing their way through a legion of Deadpool variants. Although none of the Deadpool Corps remove their masks — not even Lady Deadpool, and we’re still not over it — they are brought to life by a variety of hilarious vocal cameos. Including basically the entire Reynolds clan.

Easily the most surprising Deadpool Corps cameo, though, has to be Matthew McConaughey as Cowboypool. Although many probably came away from the film thinking “hey, whoever voiced that guy did a really good McConaughey impression!”, those who paid attention to the credits would’ve seen that this actually was the man himself. That said, the Dazed and Confused icon wasn’t always set to play the part.

“Ryan, you’re fired”: Deadpool & Wolverine director reveals how Matthew McConaughey came to be Cowboypool

According to director Shawn Levy, he was originally keen to have Reynolds voice Cowboypool himself. The movie’s leading man even recorded all the character’s lines, but he was determined to get a big name to replace him. Levy himself wasn’t convinced that was necessary, until McConaughey miraculously agreed to come aboard.

“Ryan [Reynolds] in early cuts was the voice of Cowboypool,” Levy revealed on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “He did the greatest Cowboypool and I implored him to let us use his voice.”

His tune changed, however, when McConaughey came through for them:

“I feel like, eventually, he was like, ‘Okay fine, we’ll stick with my voice unless we can get someone like Matthew McConaughey.’ Cut to…yes! Literally, days later, Matthew sent us that recording. It was so good and dropped in like butter. ‘Ryan, you’re fired as Cowboypool. Matthew, you’re in.'”

Although we hope Reynolds’ voiceover for Cowboypool ends up getting shared at some point, McConaughey’s cameo is easily up there with Brad Pitt as the Vanisher in Deadpool 2 as one of the most unlikely actor appearances in a Marvel movie. You might say everything turned out alright, alright, alright in the end.