How Ryan Reynolds got Disney to approve edgy Deadpool Wolverine jokes Etalk

You know what time it is? It's time to talk about the movie. 5 o'clock, baby. We got to talk about the movie. No spoilers. No, absolutely no spoilers. I like this kind of crap. I don't like watching. I love that it's really a dialogue with the crowd. It's not even like we're up here and they're sitting there. It's more like we're in this together. Yeah, just so you're clear, they're interviewing you as well. This is a team sport here. It's Deadpool and Honey Badger. Spoiler alert. So I want to ask you guys, because there are some jokes in this movie. So what was the meeting like when you're discussing with Disney the jokes about Disney? Oh, boy. You know, shockingly, the fun story would be that Disney was just appalled at everything and Marvel couldn't blend, was never going to let us do anything. But that's on one hand. On the other hand, money. Really put them in a tough position. Because the movies, these movies in particular, they're made, I think, fairly by superhero standards, superhero movie standards, quite responsibly. I mean, we pride ourselves on finishing on time on budget or under budget and delivering the movie exactly how we planned. Or when we wrote the script, like start to finish with all of our alt jokes, everything. So we were a little bit like the sort of eager kids at school, I think, that they sort of saw that. And that's a trust-building exercise. They had a lot of faith in us to deliver and to self-govern. So yes, there's jokes in there that I personally cannot believe they let us do. Because we were like the kind of good boy students turning in our script every once in a while. And every time we send a script, we were like kind of waiting and assuming that we were going to get in trouble. And the pushback never came. And it became clear that on this movie, funny wins. Yeah, funny wins. But I think the key differential is that this movie is incredibly warm and emotional, not just so. So Deadpool works best on scarcity and surprise, right? So it's been six years since we've had a Deadpool movie. It's been seven since we've had a Wolverine movie. And those work in our favor. So people are expecting the unexpected. And part of the unexpected is that sort of warmth. But really, there was one joke, one line that they asked me to take out. Wow, I can't imagine. Hugh, you want to tell what that line was? I can't imagine what that was. Yeah, just one. That was it. Just one, OK. There were others. When I was on set, I was like, there's no way that's going to be it. Yeah, there it is. And they're all there. Hugh, I did that at least three times. You did? Watch, I'm like, no, there's no way he just said that. There's no way he just said that. I have a joke about Hugh that I couldn't believe he let me say in the movie. So I mean, that passes. I was like, wow, he let that go. Yeah, he did. Hugh, I wanted to ask you. So obviously, we know you as Wolverine, love you as Wolverine. What did you get to explore with Wolverine this time around, especially since you know the character so well? It's a great question. Because if I was going to come back, the thing was I could see that Wolverine with Deadpool was a whole different tone to anything that I'd done before in the other nine movies. And so I knew that. But these guys are not maybe getting heralded enough. As soon as this movie comes out, they will. But as writers, they are fantastic writers. I mean, the other writers, I had been scratching at something, an itch I'd been trying to scratch as Wolverine for 24 years that I hadn't been able to actually get out. And I said, this is the thing. This is what I, and I don't know how to do it. I don't know if it's me. I don't know if it's the writing. I don't know if it's the story. But this is, I think, essential to who this character is. And these guys nailed it. So it's a different version, and not different. It's a deeper version, I think, of Wolverine. And I know I see some Wolverine fans. Oh my God, you must be so hot. You know what? You are sweating for that, wearing literally, wow, you poor thing. That's commitment. Literally, it's deeper, rounder. I think it's funnier. I also get a monologue. I say more words in one monologue these guys wrote for me than I said in an entire movie once as Wolverine. Oh my God. And the whole thing has been awesome. I don't know who this question is for, but as you can see by the commitment of the gentleman in the front row. I think it's for him. How did we get Wolverine in yellow this time? I mean, it's kind of amazing that it never happened before now. That's what I'm saying, yeah. As soon as you called and said, I want in, I feel like immediately it was clear to us. We have to do it in the yellow and blue. I mean, there's no other way to do it. It's been 24 years. Like, why wouldn't we try that, you know? So off we went. I mean, it was probably the most amazing day we ever had on set was the first time Hugh walked in wearing the full yellow. And I was right beside him. So you had your ketchup and mustard walking the catwalk together. And we're shooting in London at Pinewood. These are fourth generation crew members who have done a thousand movies. And this hush falls over the crew. It was the weirdest, wildest moment. And it really, that was the first time it dawned on me the kind of power of this guy in that suit and what it means to so many people. And there's a gentleman who worked on the movie named Billy Lawless. And I've told this story before, but at the end of the day, Billy is walking back with me to Hugh's luxury trailer for our evening cognac. Billy looks at me and says- It's not true. I didn't invite him into my trailer. No, not at all. Not at all, not at all. But it was a 24 year aged cognac. Billy says, this was the best day of my life. And I was like, what? And he was like, it's the best day of my life. And the next day I found out his son is named Logan. I mean, he's like a huge fan of Wolverine. To see him in that yellow was kind of a dream come true for him. That's beautiful. The next question, because I had a bunch of questions while watching the film today, is how did you get Madonna in sync, not just in the film, but also at the premiere last night as well in New York? Are you okay? Everyone's okay here? Yeah, we're okay. We're okay? Okay, all right. Listen, we've all heard of Madonna. We've all heard of NSYNC. Yes. They're not gonna hurt you. It's just music. It's on Instagram. Nobody dies. They were, yeah. I mean, that was, music is always driven writing for me, and I know it's driven the writing for you. I mean, we did a movie called Free Guy together, and Mariah Carey's Fantasy was kind of like our North Star. So, and then this one, Like a Prayer is a song that's been stuck in my head since, I'm not making this up, since Deadpool 2, since I was shooting Deadpool 2 in Vancouver, and the sequence we use it in is, it's as- Which we're not gonna say anything about. No, we're not gonna say anything about the sequence. Anything about that sequence, that particular sequence. But it, so it was stuck in my head forever. So, just to get the rights to this, they don't license this song either. Madonna's not, doesn't typically license it. She doesn't do it. So, yeah, Sean and I had to go to Madonna's house. And meet with her. That was nerve-wracking even. Yeah, and meet with her. Wow. And I remember, we spent a couple hours there, and she, of course, was brilliant, and when she came in, I didn't know what to, I was like, do I call her Madonna? Do I, am I allowed to breathe around her? Should I keep my heart beating? It was kind of crazy, but she had a great note, like a musical note, that we put into the movie, and it was super effective. And I remember, she had one other note, and we called her, and the first thing she said when Sean and I called her, because we were so fidgety around her. We looked like we were like drug addicts or something. Because we were so nervous. And when she picked up the phone, she said, are you two calling to argue with me? And I just said, Madonna, I've done some profoundly stupid things in my life, but nothing that dumb. And she, you know, sort of realized it. And then again, had another amazing note. But that's, it's just, I love, this movie is like a superpower, because people, her son loves it. You know, and that was kind of the reason that she was, I think, more amenable to allowing the song to sort of be a part of it in this way. And I think Ryan's being humble. The truth is, people love Deadpool. Yeah. People love Deadpool. And it's, it's really why every musical artist we reached out to, they said yes. Every surprise piece of casting, they said yes. People wanted to come and play with this duo. I love it. You always have imposter syndrome. You're always like, you know, no one's coming to the birthday party. This is going to end badly.