Hugh Jackman Enjoyed Ryan Reynolds’ Spirited But Is (Hilariously) Hoping The Movie Doesn’t Snag One Major Honor

Ryan Reynolds starring wide-eyed in Spirited and Hugh Jackman smiling in The Greatest Showman.
(Image credit: Apple TV+ and 20th Century Studios)

The legendary faux feud between Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds continues, as the actor behind Wolverine took to social media in an effort to derail the Oscar chances for a song his Deadpool 3 co-star performs in Spirited. And while Jackman tries to hilariously stop his fake foe's chances this award season, Reynolds has responded with by aptly saying “Good Afternoon.” 

In a video on Twitter, Jackman explained that he really wanted to give everybody good news to start off 2023. However, with the recent news of the Spirited song “Good Afternoon” being shortlisted for Best Original Song for this year’s Academy Awards, he sadly (and hilariously) couldn’t do that. The Wolverine actor said: 

Ryan Reynolds getting a nomination in the best song category would make the next year of my life insufferable. I mean I have to spend the year with him, shooting Wolverine and Deadpool, trust me it would be impossible. It would be a problem.

He then made sure to note that he could not stand to work with Reynolds on Deadpool 3 if the song got nominated. However, he also shared his love for the other two stars of Spirited, Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer, and he did admit that the tune in question is quite funny.

You can watch Jackman's hilarious video in full here:

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Following Jackman’s PSA, Reynolds obviously got into the conversation. He reposted The Greatest Showman star’s video on his own Instagram, using an inside insult from Spirited, writing: “Good afternoon to you, Mr. Jackman.” Along with that snarky jab, the Deadpool actor also took to Twitter. Even though Jackman did help him learn how to dance for the movie, Reynolds made sure to show his disapproval of his frenemy's message and said: 

Disagree. I think the deepfakes that sang and danced for Will and I would love to perform at the Oscars.

Admittedly, it would be fun to see Reynolds and Ferrell take the stage to sing the song from Spirited. This is because the song is essentially explaining that "Good Afternoon" is an insult in the old times, which basically means "fuck you."

To hear that song performed live during a traditionally serious award ceremony would honestly be iconic. I’d also like to note the hilarious juxtaposition of the possibility of seeing these two actors perform this comedic song during a ceremony that could include performances of various ballads from major pop stars like Taylor Swift, Rihanna and Lady Gaga

Along with his funny comment about performing at the Academy Awards, Reynolds replied to his own quote tweet, picking up on a possible verbal typo from Jackman. The Adam Project star pointed out that his co-star called their entry on the list of upcoming Marvel movies by a different name.

Also “Wolverine and Deadpool”, bub?

So…is Jackman just wanting his character’s name to be part of the title of the upcoming Deadpool movie. Or was it a slip-up, and is that the name of the movie? I’d bet it was an intentional joke, but still, it got me thinking. 

As we wait for more news about Deadpool 3, and to see if anything more comes of Hugh Jackman's alternative name for the film, you can keep up with the Oscar's race to see if “Good Afternoon” gets nominated for Best Original Song. Also, be sure to check out the 2023 movie schedule, and keep the Christmas spirit alive by watching Spirited with an Apple TV+ subscription

Riley Utley
Weekend Editor

Riley Utley is the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. She has written for national publications as well as daily and alt-weekly newspapers in Spokane, Washington, Syracuse, New York and Charleston, South Carolina. She graduated with her master’s degree in arts journalism and communications from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. Since joining the CB team she has covered numerous TV shows and movies -- including her personal favorite shows Ted Lasso and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She also has followed and consistently written about everything from Taylor Swift to Fire Country, and she's enjoyed every second of it.