Ryan Reynolds Defends Comedy Acting After He’s Mocked for Doing Variety’s ‘Actors on Actors’ for Playing Deadpool: ‘It’s Meant to Look Effortless’
Ryan Reynolds recently took to X to respond to a user who mocked his inclusion in Variety’s upcoming “Actors on Actors” series. Reynolds reprised his role of Deadpool/Wade Wilson this year in Marvel’s record-breaking blockbuster “Deadpool and Wolverine.” He’s paired for “Actors on Actors” with Andrew Garfield, who earned strong reviews for his performance in the A24 marriage drama “We Live in Time.”
“Andrew Garfield talking about playing a husband and father who’s wife decides to forgo cancer treatment and Ryan Reynolds talking about playing Deadpool,” an X user wrote in a now-deleted comment while sharing the full list of pairings for this month’s “Actors on Actors” series.
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“Correct. Andrew’s a genius,” Reynolds replied. “He and Florence are magic together in ‘We Live in Time.’ They’re heartbreaking and charming and spend the entire film in a high-wire act of humanity and constraint. And yes I am Deadpool, but I will take a second and speak up in defense of comedy.”
“Dramatic work is difficult. And we’re also meant to see it’s difficult, which is one of the reasons it feels visceral and effective. Comedy is also very difficult,” Reynolds continued. “But it has an added dimension in that it’s meant to look and feel effortless. You intentionally hide the stitching and unstitching. I think both disciplines are beautiful. And both work beautifully together. Comedy and drama subsist on tension. Both thrive when subverting expectation. Both thrive backstopped by real emotion. And both are deeply subjective. Your favorite comedy might be ‘Anchorman.’ Mine might be Lars Von Trier’s ‘Melancholia.'”
Reynolds and Garfield’s interview will kick off the new season of “Actors on Actors” on Dec. 9. This season’s other pairings include Ariana Grande and Paul Mescal, Nicole Kidman and Zendaya, Saoirse Ronan and Selena Gomez, Angelina Jolie and Cynthia Erivo and more.
“Deadpool and Wolverine” opened in theaters over the summer and became the highest-grossing R rated movie of all time with $1.3 billion at the worldwide box office. Variety’s awards pundit Clayton Davis recently predicted Reynolds will receive a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a musical or comedy thanks to his performance as Deadpool/Wolverine.
See the full list of “Actors on Actors” interview pairings here.
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