Jake Gyllenhaal Penned A Sweet Tribute To Deadpool’s Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal in Life
(Image credit: (Sony Pictures))

There are few actors as loved and admired as Ryan Reynolds is at the moment. The man behind the Deadpool mask was pivotal in bringing the hilariously foul-mouthed superhero to the screen not once, but twice. Each of his tweets is either a buzzworthy headline or a beautifully sarcastic quip. If you look up "relationship goals" in the dictionary, you'll even find a picture of Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively angelically posing next to each other with their two children. But if that's not enough, read this deeply touching tribute to him, written by none other than Jake Gyllenhaal:

Ryan built the house of Deadpool brick by brick, constructing a space that inspired him and let him stretch to every corner of the room. The remarkable success of Deadpool may have shocked the suits who took a chance on financing that ragtag superhero movie, but for the people who know and love Ryan, it was no surprise that the whole damn world rallied as soon as it had the chance to really see him: all of the edges and darkness, the crackerjack wit borne from a lifetime of sensitivity and sadness, and against all odds, the openness.

Anyone else have a few tears coming on? His comments come via a letter Variety asked Jake Gyllenhaal to write for its distinguished New Power of New York list. The list of 50 also includes other actors such as Crazy Rich Asians breakout star Awkwafina, young Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet and A Quiet Place stunner John Krasinski amongst musicians, athletes, etc. In the letter, Gyllenhaal talks about how the two met years ago and soon became close friends. He discussed the actor's history as a frequenter in romantic comedies who never had the chance to "fire all cylinders" until he created his own chance to with Deadpool. In the touching tribute, Gyllenhaal revealed that Reynolds works "tirelessly," writing all night so he can be a husband and father during the day.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Reynolds shared the screen in 2017's Life, a sci-fi thriller set on the International Space Station. During their press tour, the pair showed off their hilarious chemistry together, especially in this interview, where they just couldn't keep it together. It's no surprise to his fans that Reynolds is as talented as Gyllenhaal says he is in the letter, but knowing Reynolds, he'll likely spin it into some form of off-color joke or over-the-top affair to downplay it.

If rumors that floated over the summer of Jake Gyllenhaal's casting as Mysterio in Spider-Man: Far From Home are true, the actors may get a chance to collaborate under Marvel or at least be a part of the same universe as Disney starts to cash in on the Fox deal. Ryan Reynolds talent and success can be found in this week's news of Deadpool 2 returning to theaters just seven months after its release. The PG-13 release reportedly has a running title of The Deadpool Before Christmas and will be released on December 21.

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.