Ryan Reynolds and Taika Waititi reflect on Green Lantern: “I’ve never heard of it”

Remember Green Lantern? The internet never forgets, but Taika Waititi and Ryan Reynolds are doing their hardest to do exactly that.

The pair will be co-starring in the upcoming comedy actioner Free Guy, a movie that combines the joys of Back to the Future with the world of GTA. Asked by our sister publication Total Film magazine about whether Free Guy is going to expunge the memory of Green Lantern, Waititi feigned forgetfulness.

"What’s the project you’re talking about? I’ve never heard of it," the actor/director says. "Green... what?"

Of course, the Oscar-winning Waititi was able to look on the funny side of his time playing Thomas Kalmaku opposite Reynolds' Hal Jordan. "No, that type of thing is great, because Ryan and I have both got a similar sense of humour in regards to things like that," he explains. "I find it really funny that I did that film. The thing is, it’s like when people shy away from things, and they don’t want to admit they’ve done something, or they don’t ever reference it, I find it worse.

"If an actor is brave enough or comfortable enough in themselves to acknowledge it, and to be self-deprecating, and to own that they have been a part of something that’s been lambasted a bit, then I think that’s great. Because when you can make fun of yourself, then everybody else understands: ‘Oh, we’re all in on the joke’. Because if you pretend it never happened, then it makes it kind of weird and uncomfortable for everyone. [Pauses] I still don’t have any idea what that project is. I’m not entirely sure which one you’re talking about."

Asked about working with Waititi again, Reynolds, too, joked about forgetting his time on Green Lantern. “I’ve never met him," Reynolds deadpans. Luckily, though, for Free Guy, Waititi was quick to agree to the role. "I still can’t quite figure out how we got him for this," he says. "He just sort of said ‘yes’ right away.

Read the extended interview with Reynolds and Waititi – plus conversations with Shawn Levy, Jodi Comer, and Joe Keery – in the upcoming issue of Total Film, which hits shelves and digital on Friday, May 1. You can subscribe online here. Free Guy reaches cinemas December 11, 2020.

If you can’t make it to the shops, you can order a copy of the print magazine from this link from Friday. You can also subscribe to Total Film digitally on your tablet, and there’s currently an offer that allows you to get your first five digital issues for just £5/$5/€5. Head to this link to sign up (Black Widow issue available from April 3). Terms and conditions apply, offer runs until April 30, 2020. If you subscribe, you can get exclusive covers like the one below.

Jane Crowther is a freelance writer and the Editor-in-Chief at Hollywood Authentic magazine, having formerly been the longtime Editor of Total Film magazine. Jane is also the Chair of The Critics' Circle and a BAFTA member. You'll find Jane on GamesRadar+ exploring the biggest movies in the world and living up to her reputation as one of the most authoritative voices on film in the industry.