MAN OF ACTION
Ryan Reynolds jumps in to be ‘The Hitman’s Bodyguard’
Ask Ryan Reynolds why he wanted to make “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” and he says it all comes down to having the perfect co-star.
“I wouldn’t have done the movie without Samuel Jackson,” says the actor. “That was my contingency with the studio. I was, like, “If you can get Sam to do it, I’ll do it.’
“We met many, many years ago at a fundraiser, and then we did an animated movie together, and I just knew we’d have this kind of chemistry that would work really well for the movie.”
An action comedy in the “Midnight Run” tradition, “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” stars Reynolds as the world’s top protection agent who is tasked with guarding the life of his lifelong nemesis, a notorious hit men (Jackson).
Thrown together for a wildly eventful 24 hours, the men bicker and fight in between participating in high-speed car chases and outlandish boat escapades and suffering the wrath of an European dictator (Gary Oldman) who’s out to murder them.
The key to the Reynolds/Jackson chemistry is the fact that both actors know how to improvise in character, without trying to hog the spotlight.
“There’s nothing worse than working with a guy that starts improvising and just makes it all about them and you sort of lose the whole plot to everything,” notes Reynolds, 40. “But that’s not the case with Sam. He is the most professional guy you’ll ever work with. He and I both, I think, have a pretty good idea when to hit the gas and when to pump the breaks a bit.”
Another reason Reynolds was happy to jump aboard the movie was Tom O’Connor’s screenplay, which blends action and comedy elements.
“The parody part of the movie I think is important because it does poke fun at some of the tropes of buddy action movies,”
“I’m only as good as the people I work with, so to work with these incredible writers and this director [David Leitch] and all these people, it’s just been amazing.” — Ryan Reynolds
says Reynolds. “It leans in on some of the tropes in a heavy way, and other times we step away from it and deconstruct it and kind of make fun of it. Then other times, it’s just a straight-up buddy action comedy.”
One trope the movie doesn’t undermine is the notion that Reynolds and Jackson’s characters have something to teach other.
“Sam is usurping a lot of expectation with the hitman,” says Reynolds. “With the bodyguard, you look at the Kevin Costner prototype from “The Bodyguard.”
“But this guy, my character, is just an emotional moron. He’s literally seven years old when it comes to dealing with real life issues and real people and his relationships so I have a lot to learn from Sam’s character who I seemingly hate. So, that was lot of fun.”
In real life, Reynolds is
married to actress Blake Lively with whom he has two daughters James and Ines. Even though the couple are among Hollywood’s most high-profile power pairs, they rarely enlist bodyguards to protect them.
“I refuse to work with a bodyguard unless he can carry me through a concert, in sort of a fetal position,” says Reynolds with a chuckle. “Actually, you have to have [bodyguards] for Comic-Con or something like that. But I wouldn’t go to Chipotle with security. It just attracts more attention, too.”
On second thought, Reynolds says, he might need that security detail after all.
“You know, my daughter kicked me in the face so hard yesterday morning that I really wouldn’t have minded somebody assisting in the bedroom, just watching out for that,” the actor teases.
“I was in a dead sleep and I got an MMA-style roundhouse to the nose.
I would call security in a second. I would lock that child up in a jail cell in Alcatraz and throw away the key. That would be the ultimate time out.”
Always a reliable leading man ever since he scored early hits with “Van Wilder” and “The Proposal,” Reynolds kicked his career up a notch in 2016 when he joined the Marvel Universe to play the title character in “Deadpool.” The movie exceeded everyone’s expectations by scoring big with critics and pulling in $783 million at the box-office.
Up next for Reynolds is – what else? – “Deadpool 2,” which is due in theaters in June 2018.
“I’ve been so proud of every aspect of [playing Deadpool] and I’m so passionate about it, and it’s the privilege of a lifetime to be able to do it,” says the actor.
“I’m only as good as the people I work with, so to work with these incredible writers and this director [David Leitch] and all these people, it’s just been amazing.”