Ryan Reynolds talks Coen Brothers and the ‘Green Lantern’ effect

ryan reynolds talks coen brothers and green lantern effect 2016 images

After the success of ‘Deadpool,’ it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t long ago that Ryan Reynolds was on the ‘unhireable’ aka washed up list, but he shares his downfalls and rebounds with Taraji P. Henson in a rather revealing interview. The full interview is just below.

Reynolds is very candid in this interview and stated that “I represented the death of the superhero for a while.” This came right on the heels of “Green Lantern’s” widespread disapproval from both critics and fans back in 2011. Before that, he was getting acclaim for his big screen comedies and a stellar performance in indie thriller “Buried,” but in Hollywood, things change very quickly and one movie can determine your future.

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It took a few years of figuring out his next step, but he obviously chose right. This year saw Reynolds get back into costume as what could be described as a superhero in one of the comedies of the year “Deadpool.”

“Deadpool” was a passion project for Reynolds who spent almost ten years trying to get the merc with a mouth to the big screen.

Rumors of on-set rifts between Reynolds and director Tim Miller seem to have been confirmed as Miller will be replaced for “Deadpool” two.

With one wanting to go big and the other wanting to go for the indie superhero feel of the first, the pair will not team up again for what they are calling creative differences.

Although Miller has praised Reynolds dedication to bringing the superhero to the big screen in the first place.

Although the director of the first film will not be returning, “Deadpool” will in a sequel the date for which has yet to be announced.

Reynolds also admitted to having a bad audition for Ethan and Joel Cohen’s film “Inside Llewyn Davis.” He said they weren’t a good fit basically because the award-winning directors were very high class.

He recalled that the people during the audition were quietly shaking their heads. It was like they were asking what Reynolds was doing there, and does he even have a Screen Actors Guild card.

During the interview, Reynolds even got to a point where he said it’s funny what an actor thinks when someone gets the role they auditioned for and the actor who got it is actually quite perfect for that role. He didn’t specify which role he tried out for, but many think it was the one that went to Oscar Issac in which he played a struggling musician.

The full transcribed interview below:

Taraji P. Henson: When did you last audition?

Ryan Reynolds: I’m auditioning right now. I’m going to be on “Empire” this season; I’m hoping!

Henson: Yes, please!

Reynolds: No, my last was … I auditioned and failed for the Coen brothers. “Hail, Caesar!” was it? No, it was the one before that. It wasn’t the right fit, mostly because they’re very high class. They were just quietly shaking their heads, like, “What are you doing here? Do you have a SAG card?”

Henson: I don’t believe that!

Reynolds: When was your last audition?

Henson: I auditioned for Shonda Rhimes for “Scandal.” Thank God Kerry got it. It was 
her job.

Reynolds: Isn’t it funny how sometimes you think, “Wow, someone else got it, and they ran with it, and it was perfect for them.”

Henson: Or there are the ones where you’re like, “Pee-yew, glad I didn’t get that one!”

Reynolds: Yes, there are those, too, where you’re like, “I dodged a big ol’ bullet there.”

Henson: What was your worst audition?

Reynolds: I think pretty much most of them. I was never a great auditioner. But I had one where I had to sing, and I’m a nervous singer. I’m one of those people that … you know when you’re in the shower, and you’re like, “This is pretty good”? But once I get out into the real world, it’s just like my voice turns into a hammer that hits everybody in the face. So I did an audition where I had to sing, and it was pretty bad. It’s one of those auditions that was so bad that I look back and I think, “What if that tape surfaces at some point? That’ll be the death of me.” Yeah. That was pretty awful.

Henson: Thank god social media wasn’t popping back in the days when we had to audition. How has social media changed the game for you as your career grew?

Reynolds: I’ve only had it for a year and a half. And I applied it specifically for “Deadpool,” because it was so instrumental for that movie. It was huge for creating a groundswell for “Deadpool,” and so much of the stuff had to do with viral ads. So for me, I can’t speak more highly of any kind of medium other than social media.

Henson: It hasn’t interfered with your personal life? Like, you can go to Target?

Reynolds: I don’t tweet, “Hey this is me walking into the Ralphs.” “Here’s me at my colonoscopy! I’m going to be knocked out in a minute!”

Henson: I’m not like that either — I’ll do a joke, or I’ll do it for promotional stuff. Because you’re walking down the street, and there’s like, “Hey, Cookie!” And maybe I didn’t want the world to see how I look today.

Reynolds: That’s the price of an iconic character that you play.

Henson: See, it was fine until Cookie came. I was OK under the radar. I was good. I could go to Target.

Reynolds: But Cookie’s viral.

Henson: Never saw that coming. And then I go from this normal life 
to … now I have to find 
a house on a private, gated road. I love to people-watch. I love to go to the park. But I can’t — everybody’s watching me. I’ve tried wigs, I’ve tried shades. I’ve tried it all.

Reynolds: That’s a good problem to have, when you’ve created a character that has so permeated the zeitgeist and everybody loves them.

Henson: Yeah, it’s that they’ve forgotten my name.

Reynolds: Wait until 
“Hidden Figures” comes out.

Henson: I hope it shifts it. But I have a feeling that the hardcore Cookie fans will be like, “Look at Cookie playing that rocket scientist!”

Reynolds: No way. Have you seen “Hidden Figures”? You could not find two more completely different characters. Did it find you? Did you find it? How did that work?

Henson: Ted Melfi, our director, called my manager, and they sent it to me. I read it and I remember thinking to myself, “How come I haven’t heard of these women?” So I made it my mission to do the film. I didn’t care how much they were paying. I just felt it was an important piece of history that we needed to know about. So then I became very grateful that I was the one chosen to be a part of it. What drew you to “Deadpool”? You put that film together.

Reynolds: Yeah, 11 years I was trying to get that thing going.

Henson: People don’t know that. They think you’re Ryan Reynolds — just go in there and say, “Hey, let’s make this movie!”

Reynolds: No, I represented the death of the superhero for a while. After “Green Lantern,” I was pretty much unhirable. “Deadpool” was one of those things that was just so specific — it was like this weird superhero anarchy that I loved so much. I think I was in the superhero suit more in the marketing materials than I was in the actual film. Which is why I stole the suit at the end of production and just brought it home with me.