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Ryan Reynolds admits he was 'un-hireable' after Green Lantern flop

Disaster... Green Lantern made Reynolds 'un-hireable' - Credit: Warner Bros
Disaster… Green Lantern made Reynolds ‘un-hireable’ – Credit: Warner Bros

Oh yes, Green Lantern was indeed a disaster for Ryan Reynolds. Hot property one minute, and flaming garbage the next.

In fact, he’s said that he was pretty much ‘un-hireable’ afterwards.

Speaking with the ‘Empire’ star Taraji P. Henson for Variety‘s ‘Actors on Actors’ series of interviews, he said: “I represented the death of the superhero for a while.

“After ‘Green Lantern’, I was pretty much unhirable. ‘Deadpool’ was one of those things that was just so specific — it was like this weird superhero anarchy that I loved so much.

“I think I was in the superhero suit more in the marketing materials than I was in the actual film. Which is why I stole the suit at the end of production and just brought it home with me.”

(Credit: Warner Bros)
(Credit: Warner Bros)

‘Deadpool’ totally revived Reynolds’ career, as he took on the role of Wade Wilson, the mercenary disfigured and left for dead who becomes a masked vigilante.

It made a massive $782 million from its modest (for a superhero movie) $58 million budget.

But ‘Green Lantern’, by comparison, cost $200 million, and made back $219 million, which after marketing and advertising spend was a huge loss for Warner Bros (it was panned by critics too).

Reynolds also detailed another indignity during the chat, namely the time he auditioned for the Coen brothers for ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’.

“I auditioned and failed for the Coen brothers,” revealed. “’Hail, Caesar!’ was it? No, it was the one before that. It wasn’t the right fit, mostly because they’re very high class.

“They were just quietly shaking their heads, like, ‘What are you doing here? Do you have a SAG card?’”

(Credit: Fox)
(Credit: Fox)

Reynolds will be in the forthcoming ‘Deadpool’ sequel, to be helmed by former stuntman and ‘John Wick’ helmsman David Leitch, after Tim Miller, who directed the first movie, walked.

Next up, he’s in sci-fi thriller ‘Criminal’ with Kevin Costner, ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’ with Samuel L. Jackson and Gary Oldman, then another sci-fi thriller ‘Life’, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson.

So all’s well that ends well, then.

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