Ryan Reynolds has reflected on the making of Deadpool and Wolverine, revealing the advice from Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige that "haunted" him during the writing process on the Marvel Phase 5 movie.
"He said something that sounds very pedantic and is probably not the thing to say out loud, but actually, weirdly, served as a creative engine," Reynolds told an audience at the Fast Company Innovation Festival (H/T Deadline). "He was like, 'Make every scene great.' And I was like, 'Thanks, Kev. Sounds good.'"
Those four words of advice, however, sprung back up while Reynolds was deep in the creative trenches on the MCU's first R-Rated movie, with the Deadpool actor admitting it "haunted him." He added, "'Make it great’ – that’s hard.”
Another struggle involved a back-and-forth on one unknown moment in Deadpool and Wolverine that ended up being left on the cutting room floor.
As Reynolds explains, "There was only one line in the entire film that they asked me to take out… And they were right!"
Reynolds added, "As soon as somebody says something, like, ‘Ryan, Bob Iger here. Would love it if you’d take that one line out. It’s really going to make our life hard over here.’ As soon as they say that, there’s just something in my brain that goes, ‘Must keep line! Precious!’"
Of course, all's well that ends well. Deadpool and Wolverine ended up grossing over $1.3 billion at the box office. Reynolds even got a win of sorts with the line that was taken out, with it eventually being swapped for a playful mention of an iconic Disney character.
"As soon as the fog of war lifts and you have a second thought, it’s like, ‘Of course I can take that out. Can I say something about Pinocchio instead? And the answer is yes," Reynolds recalled.
Next up for Marvel is Agatha All Along, the WandaVision spin-off featuring the return of Kathryn Hahn's meddlesome witch. For more on the show, check out our interviews with creator Jac Shaeffer, plus cast members Kathryn Hahn and Joe Locke. Then dive into the show's Disney Plus plans with the Agatha All Along release schedule.
Dive into more things Marvel with our guide to upcoming Marvel movies and how to watch the Marvel movies in order.
