Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman were willing to go through a lot of trouble to get the rights to Madonna’s 1989 hit song Like a Prayer. The stars of the upcoming Deadpool and Wolverine movie revealed how they met Madonna, the scenes where they would use the song and other details about getting the song licensed.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman reveal how they secured the license to use Madonna’s song in Deadpool and Wolverine
Reynolds and Jackman recently gave an interview on SiriusXM with Andy Cohen, in which the two superheroes along with director Shawn Levy shared their experience of meeting Madonna and personally asking her to license the song. He revealed that he had to bring his team to meet Madonna and tell her what the sequence in the film would look like with the song.
Shawn Levy explained that this was because it is very rare for Madonna to give permission for that particular tune. Ryan Reynolds underscored the seriousness of his plea as he made special efforts to get it accepted.
The Deadpool actor, 47, added, “Let’s start with the fact that they don’t license — that Madonna just doesn’t license songs, that song in particular. It was a big deal to ask for it and of course it was an even bigger deal to use it. We went and met with her and showed her how, where and why it was being used.”
Levy and Reynolds said they felt like they were being welcomed by royalty. Reynolds even jokingly admitted that he asked his team members what they should call him when they met him for that meeting.
He said, “Am I allowed to just say ‘Madonna’?” The use of first names or formal address was not known to any of them, as there was tension and respect for the Queen of Pop.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s much-awaited film Deadpool and Wolverine will be released on July 26.
In addition to allowing Deadpool and Wolverine to be included in Like a Prayer, Madonna also offered advice on additional scenes in the production storyline. Within two days, these recommendations were so valuable that the directors came back and added them, which led to an improvement in its presentation after a single retake.
The upcoming film sees 55-year-old Hugh Jackman reprise his role as Wolverine, which he last played in Logan (2017). It is the story of Deadpool and Wolverine working together again, but this time for a different purpose – making it their first major collaboration with these two iconic characters.
Reynolds recalled waiting on the set of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2008 when he first met Jackman. According to People, one of the most striking memories of Ryan was that Hugh Jackman addressed him by name and made him feel comfortable.
Also read: Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman bring Deadpool-Wolverine clout to Stray Kids’ ‘Chuck Chuck Boom’ music video
