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Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds have been friends for 17 years, since they met on the set of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Since then, their friendship has been a fun and supportive one. For a long time, they had a hilarious fake feud via social media in which they would prank or try to one up each other. According to Jackman, the teasing started after Reynolds jokingly told Jackman to be on his “best behavior” around his then-wife Scarlett Johansson. But they’ve also been there for one another during tough times, too. After the news broke last fall that Hugh and his ex-wife Deborra-lee Furness were divorcing, he and Ryan were seen out walking together in NYC, in deep conversation. They also attended the Jets vs. Kansas City Chiefs game with Ryan’s current wife, Blake Lively, and her bestie, Taylor Swift.
Their next movie together, Deadpool & Wolverine, is out on July 26. I was kinda over Deadpool until I saw the trailer for this movie and now I’m definitely going to end up seeing it. Hugh and Ryan recently sat down with People for this week’s cover story, where they interviewed each other about first working together, the origins of their long-running “feud,” their friendship, and more.
They can always count on each other: “We rely on each other for the real kind of advice that you want,” Reynolds says in this week’s cover story. “There’s probably fewer friends in our life that you can say anything to, the stuff you’re ashamed, embarrassed, anything,” Jackman, 55, tells Reynolds, 47.
They love to walk and talk: “And ever since I’ve known you, and I would say in particular in like the last five, 10 years, we’ve had more time where we go for our walks because you’re an unbelievable listener,” adds Jackman. “So you can tell me anything and I can tell you anything, and I don’t feel like you’re going to be judging or necessarily giving me the answer: ‘Do this.’ And I think that has been the key.”
The “secret sauce” to having a long term friendship in Hollywood: The feeling is mutual. “I think the secret sauce to a long-lasting Hollywood friendship is not too dissimilar to having a partner or a marriage,” says Reynolds, speaking to Jackman. “I am genuinely rooting for you, all the time. I want you to win. It’s the same way I feel about Blake. As I’m rooting for her, I know she’s rooting for me, and it’s why we’re so connected.”
Ryan was “nervous as hell” to do X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Reynolds still hasn’t forgotten the unexpected warmth he found back in 2008 when the two stars first met. The actor, who shares four kids with wife Lively, had arrived in Sydney as an unproven X-Men entity about to debut his rapid-patter take on Deadpool for the first time. The Jackman vehicle was the biggest film the actor had ever been in, and he’d been hired just weeks before. Walking on set for the first time, “I was blown away. And I was nervous as hell,” recalls Reynolds. “I was walking through the trailers, jet-lagged, disoriented, feeling really green and kind of out of my depth, and there was no script to look at. It was just like, what’s going to happen?”
Hugh knew his name: “And I heard my name, ‘Ryan!’ in between these trailers as I was walking. And it was you. Just the fact that you knew my name meant so much to me. And you came over, you gave me a big hug and you said, ‘Welcome aboard.’ ”
Ryan returned the favor…kinda: “And I remember the first day of this [movie] and you came, and you did the same thing,” grins Jackman. “You came over and you went, “Steve!” Reynolds adds with a laugh, “Greg? No, don’t tell me.”
Jackman set a great example on how to act on set:But watching Jackman operate on that early set, says Reynolds, ultimately taught him what it meant to lead — and how to pay kindness forward, particularly in how the Wolverine star is inherently gracious to “not just the people that can change your destiny, but everybody.”
I love their friendship. In an industry where so many people are fake and build relationships solely based on how it can help their careers, it’s awesome when we hear stories about true friendships. I also love that both men aren’t afraid to stress the importance of having a friend you can rely on in both good times and bad. It’s also awesome to have it confirmed that they weren’t doing the fake feud as some PR long game. I always forget that Scarlett and Ryan were married, but I never forget that he was with Alanis Morissette from 2002 to 2007. Anyway, that kind of public, affectionate teasing seems to be Ryan’s MO, since he and Blake have a habit of trolling each other via Instagram, too.
Speaking of their teasing each other, Hugh Tweeted a short reel of their dual People covers with the caption, “One of these covers is going to sell way more copies.” Ryan responded by Tweeting a truly ridiculous promo for a Wolverine-themed popcorn bucket, declaring that the “War of the Popcorn Buckets” has begun. (He also reposted a nice clip from their interview.) They are too funny. The press tour for this movie is going to be super fun. I’m so here for it.
One of these covers is going to sell way more copies. @VancityReynolds @people 📸 @guyaroch pic.twitter.com/TF7mwtyHD0
— Hugh Jackman (@RealHughJackman) May 29, 2024
Years from now they will look back at 2024 as the year the War of the Popcorn Buckets began. #history #DeadpoolAndWolverine ❤️💛 pic.twitter.com/4agugzGNLp
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) May 30, 2024
Photos credit: Noam Galai for Netflix, Greg Allen/Backgrid, Getty and via Twitter and Instagram
