Ryan Reynolds and Andrew Garfield have been paired up to be on tomorrow’s Actors on Actors season premier from Variety, but surprisingly not as Deadpool and Spider-Man. The actors will kick off the entertainment website’s new season which will include actor pairings such as Ariana Grande and Paul Mescal, Nicole Kidman and Zendaya, and Angelina Jolie and Cynthia Ervo.
Reynolds made some minor headlines a couple days ago when he defended the comedy movie genre when social media users called the Deadpool & Wolverine actor out for not being serious enough. One X user decided to deliver some snark,” Andrew Garfield talking about playing a husband and father who’s wife decides to forgo cancer treatment and Ryan Reynolds talking about playing Deadpool,” he wrote comparing the two actors (who have very different filmographies).
The actor responded by saying, “Correct. Andrew’s a genius. He and Florence are magic together in ‘We Live in Time.’ They’re heartbreaking and charming and spend the entire film in a high-wire act of humanity and constraint. And yes I am Deadpool, but I will take a second and speak up in defense of comedy.” Reynolds is talking about We Live In Time, the new movie from A24 starring Garfield and Florence Pugh as the tone and genre of the movie are about as opposite from Deadpool as you can get.
Reynolds continued comparing comedy and drama: “Dramatic work is difficult. And we’re also meant to see it’s difficult, which is one of the reasons it feels visceral and effective. Comedy is also very difficult. But it has an added dimension in that it’s meant to look and feel effortless. You intentionally hide the stitching and unstitching. I think both disciplines are beautiful. And both work beautifully together. Comedy and drama subsist on tension. Both thrive when subverting expectation. Both thrive backstopped by real emotion. And both are deeply subjective. Your favorite comedy might be ‘Anchorman.’ Mine might be Lars Von Trier’s ‘Melancholia.’”
Comedy is nothing new for Reynolds, as I remember watching him all the way back in 2005’s Waiting when I was just a senior in high school. His acting has evolved tremendously, but his bread and butter is still clearly comedy. Garfield is capable of comedy, but is much more known for his dramatic roles, with his tenure as Spider-Man blending both. .
It will be interesting to see the conversation of two highly experienced actors from essentially opposite genres. What’s the over/under on some Spider-Man/Deadpool conversation? A boy can dream. Check out some preview images from tomorrow’s Actors on Actors premier, 8 am PST via Variety!