Turns out the legendary Deadpool test footage didn’t just “mysteriously” appear online… it was Ryan Reynolds, starring in the greatest solo heist of cinematic history: himself in the mirror, brushing his teeth.
“Some a–hole leaks it online and I’m like, looking at the guy in the mirror brushing my teeth… ‘Dude, what have you done? This could be punishable by law!'” Reynolds admitted at the Toronto International Film Festival.
But Reynolds’ little crime worked wonders. “Yes, I cheated a little, but I think I was onto something that people would be interested in… And I’m grateful I did the wrong thing in that moment.” Basically: brushing teeth + mild lawbreaking = Deadpool greenlit.
The result? The 2016 Deadpool movie, made on a modest $58 million budget, went on to gross over $780 million worldwide. Reynolds’ anti-hero became one of the most beloved cinematic superheroes of all time. And the trend continued: Deadpool 2 raked in over $785 million, and last year’s Deadpool & Wolverine shattered records with $1.338 billion at the box office.
So the moral of the story: If you want to get an R-rated superhero movie made, sometimes all it takes is a little self-sabotage, a mirror, a toothbrush… and Ryan Reynolds’ charming and very sarcastic instincts.
[Via Nerdist]