Who has a better ass - Deadpool or Captain America? Ryan Reynolds answers
One of the cheeky slogans of Deadpool reads “Bad Ass, Smart Ass, Great Ass”.
Yet, when its leading man Ryan Reynolds was asked at the upcoming superhero movie’s press conference held at Mandarin Oriental Taipei yesterday whose ass would win in an “ass-off” with Captain America, also a Marvel stalwart, the 39-year-old laughed and hesitated for a while before answering.
He then told the Asian media gathered: “Well, Chris Evans, who plays Captain America, he’s got a very powerful ass.
“I am from Canada, and Canada is considered America’s hat, so we’ve a slightly smaller ass.”
When the event’s emcee joked that they could make a new superhero movie out of this, Reynolds added in jest: “It could be called Two Asses: Square Off.”
For Reynolds, Deadpool - which opens here on Feb 11 - is a labour of love that has been in the making for the past decade.
He was first introduced to the character with the dark, twisted sense of humour in 2005, and it instantly drew him in. He went on to play Deadpool in the 2009 superhero flick X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and is finally the star of his own spin-off.
“There are too many superheroes around that are goody-two-shoes, and are all about saving the world,” Reynolds said matter-of-factly.
“With Deadpool, I can say whatever I want, and play a character that’s morally flexible. It would be nice to see a hero with balls out there.”
The movie is rated R (those under 17 require an accompanying parent or adult guardian) in the US and has been banned by China’s censors due to violence, nudity and graphic language.
It has not received a rating in Singapore yet.
Based on Marvel Comic’s most unconventional anti-hero, Deadpool tells the story of former Special Forces operative-turned-mercenary Wade Wilson (Reynolds), who gains accelerated healing powers and new abilities after undergoing a rogue experiment, but also a disfigured face and body.
He then hunts down the man responsible for destroying his life to exact revenge.
It also stars Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller and Gina Carano.
When asked how his wife, US actress Blake Lively, would feel if he was really disfigured in real life, a straightforward Reynolds said: “You mean, if I showed up at home with my face looking like a testicle with teeth, will she still love me?
“Marriage is a contract, she has no choice,” he said with a laugh.
“I am confident she will still love me.”
Another pro of playing Deadpool was being able to curse and swear on set any time of the day.
He said: “Yeah, that’s great, but I can’t swear too much at home though, I have a one-year-old baby at home.”
As for the cons of being Ryan Reynolds, he said: “I love travelling for work but I love my daughter so much and I miss being away from her when I travel.
“I guess there’s the privacy problem too, it can get challenging but I can’t complain when I know that 99 per cent of the people in my line are out of a job, and I am lucky.”
On Thursday evening, Reynolds also showed up at Deadpool’s red carpet premiere at Vie Show Cinemas in Taipei, which attracted more than 1,000 fans who welcomed him with screams and cheers.
The affable heart-throb returned the affection by taking time to sign autographs and take selfies with the crowd.
Happy to be in Asia to promote his new film, Reynolds would love to collaborate with action stars Tony Jaa, Chow Yun Fat and Jet Li if he has the chance.
He said: “I grew up watching Jet Li and wanted to emulate his moves. It would be great to work with him.”
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