The Deadpool movies have been very good for the career of one Ryan Reynolds, with Wade Wilson’s two solo outings finally giving the star of X-Men Origins – Wolverine and Green Lantern a superhero role that the filmgoing public actually want to see in a second movie.
Of course, Reynolds himself also played a major part in the success of this series, not just as the lead actor but also as the producer who pushed the first film into cinemas in spite of initial studio resistance. In recognition of his accomplishments, the actor received a heartfelt tribute from fellow film star and friend Jake Gyllenhaal, who praised Reynolds’ work on Deadpool as part of Variety’s New Power of New York List.
“After years of waiting and struggling to fit his unfortunate, pear-shaped physique into the skinny jeans of a conventional romantic lead, Ryan made his own luck with Deadpool,” Gyllenhaal wrote.
“Ryan built the house of Deadpool brick by brick, constructing a space that inspired him and let him stretch to every corner of the room,” the tribute continues. “The remarkable success of Deadpool may have shocked the suits who took a chance on financing that ragtag superhero movie, but for the people who know and love Ryan, it was no surprise that the whole damn world rallied as soon as it had the chance to really see him: all of the edges and darkness, the crackerjack wit borne from a lifetime of sensitivity and sadness, and against all odds, the openness.”
Indeed, the Deadpool movies have turned out to be a better investment than anyone could’ve anticipated, with the first film finding enormous success at the box office and the second installment not ranking far behind. Nonetheless, Gyllenhaal saves his most reverent words for Reynolds’ roles as a friend and a family man.
“So often — too often — the wildly talented people of our world funnel the lion’s share of their energy into their work, but as good a writer and comedian as Ryan is, he is a better friend and father and husband,” Gyllenhaal wrote. “And that, for me, is the true mark of power.”
Next on the Deadpool agenda for Reynolds is a PG-13 movie that’s allegedly titled The Deadpool Before Christmas, and this is one project from the Merc with a Mouth that’s yet to win over the fans. We’ll see how that unusual endeavor fares though when it hits theaters on December 21st, 2018.
As for Gyllenhaal, he’s got plans for his own comic book movie role, with Spider-Man: Far From Home coming out on July 5th, 2019.
