In Deadpool 2, it was revealed that Negasonic Teenage Warhead was in a relationship with fellow X-Man Yukio, making them one of the only on-screen gay couples in a superhero movie. Even though the relationship doesn't get a lot of screen time, it's still a big deal, especially for those fans who see themselves represented in a blockbuster movie. Negasonic actress Brianna Hildebrand had no hesitation on her part to reveal that her character was gay and recently said that she was ecstatic when she first learned the news.
Ryan [Reynolds] sent me an email about it while they were in the writing process asking if I would mind if they gave Negasonic a girlfriend, and I was like, 'Mind? I'm ecstatic about that.' I just asked him to not make it --- which I knew he wouldn't, obviously, and the writers, but I just felt it would be more impactful maybe if it was just mentioned, if it wasn't just like, 'Negasonic's gay now, and now that's what we're gonna focus on.' So yeah, I think he and the writers did it beautifully and it definitely worked out the way I had wanted it to.
When she first appeared in Deadpool, there wasn't any backstory for the edgy Negasonic Teenage Warhead, but Deadpool 2 fleshed her out a little bit by introducing her girlfriend, Yukio. The introduction of the relationship was matter-of-fact and didn't take away the focus from the main story, which is just how Brianna Hildebrand wanted it. She felt that the relationship was handled "beautifully" and that it was done right.
It sounds like fans feel that the relationship was handled beautifully as well. Brianna Hildebrand (via Red Carpet News TV) revealed that she has been told by fans how much the relationship in Deadpool 2 meant to them, and the actress recounted that one fan felt encouraged to come out after seeing the movie.
Each person that's come up to me expressing how important Negasonic is to them has been an individual story that's been really special. One girl, in particular, told me that after she saw [the movie] and Negasonic and Yukio together, that she came out to her dad, which I thought was super cool and really nice.
That's a really sweet thing, and it shows that representation on the big screen matters. How that representation is handled also matters. It wasn't that long ago that Disney marketed a "gay moment" in Beauty and the Beast, only for it to barely be a factor at all in the movie. It's all a delicate dance, and one that must come with conversations like the one Briana Hildebrand had with Ryan Reynolds.
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