Channing Tatum had nothing but kind words for his friend Ryan Reynolds in a praise post on Instagram on Monday.
The 44-year-old Magic Mike star shared photos of himself posing with Ryan, 47, at Comic-Cons years apart. He sang the Deadpool & Wolverine star’s praises for standing by him when others wouldn’t, after Reynolds’ new film broke the record for the highest-grossing opening night for an R-rated movie.
He noted that the photos of himself and the Marvel star were nearly a decade apart, with the oldest photo taken at the same Comic-Con where Ryan previewed the first Deadpool film, which Channing was in the audience watching.
“I immediately ran backstage and found him. I think I just hugged him and was like, Holy shit, you did it, man,” he recalled. “It’s perfect.”
While he admitted he didn’t know Ryan well at the time, he has since said with certainty that “there’s almost no one who has supported me better in this industry than Ryan.”
Channing Tatum, 44, praised Ryan Reynolds in an Instagram post Tuesday for supporting him more than almost anyone in Hollywood, adding photos of the two at Comic-Cons nearly a decade apart.
In a post with mild spoilers, Channing alluded to the chance to finally play the X-Men character Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine; pictured on July 11 in Madrid, Spain
He shared some mild spoilers for Deadpool and Wolverine and thanked Ryan for helping revive a character dear to him.
“I thought I had lost Gambit forever. But he fought for me and Gambit. I will probably be forever grateful to him,” Channing wrote, referring to the X-Men superhero he planned to play in a standalone film.
However, the project was shelved by Disney after it purchased 20th Century Fox, which previously owned the rights to the X-Men characters.
After the merger, Disney, which already owns Marvel Studios, home of the Avengers, was able to consolidate more of the Marvel superheroes, including the X-Men, though many of the biggest stars who appear as the famous mutants have either finished playing their characters or are nearing the end of their potential runs.
“I don’t know how I could ever do anything that means as much as this does to me,” Channing enthused after Ryan helped him realize one of his film dreams.
“I love you buddy,” he added, while also thanking Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy, who he called “a truly brilliant creator on every level.”
The Blink Twice star concluded his story by noting that “everything happens for a reason.”
“I’m so grateful to be in this movie. It’s a masterpiece, as far as I’m concerned,” he enthused. “And just pure bad a** joy. I literally screamed in the theater. LFG!!”
“I thought I had lost Gambit forever. But he fought for me and Gambit. I will probably be forever grateful to him,” Channing wrote. “I’m not sure how I could ever do anything that would equal what this has meant to me”; the two are pictured at the 2024 Comic-Con in San Diego
Ryan shared his own compliments, calling Channing “not only a once-in-a-generation talent” but also “a genuinely good human being.”
To emphasize Channing’s gratitude for finally getting to play Gambit, he wore a stylized T-shirt featuring the cartoon character in both photos of him and Ryan, despite them being nearly a decade apart.
The black T-shirt featured a stylized rectangular face of Gambit, with him wearing the headgear he is typically depicted in in comics, along with a mop of colorful hair sticking out of the top.
“Check your pockets,” the shirt said.
The two men looked a little older in this year’s Comic-Con photo, but still impressively youthful.
Channing’s shirt appeared to be the same, but with a different hair color than Gambit, and Ryan had swapped his stylish brown jacket for a light pink short-sleeved shirt.
Taking to his Instagram Stories, the Deadpool star returned the compliment and reposted Channing’s photo.
“Imagine having a front row seat to this guy. Not only is he a once-in-a-generation talent, but he’s also a genuinely good person,” Ryan raved about Channing.
“I know what it’s like to bring a character to life. Chan did that. And then put the most vivid version of that character on screen as if he was born to play this one guy,” he said of the Gambit cameo.
We shared two San Diego Comic Con’s [sic]. Two of the best days of my life happened when @channingtatum wore this shirt. Coincidence or conspiracy?’ he concluded in a humorous tone, before adding a poll for fans to vote on whether it was a ‘coincidence’ or a ‘conspiracy’.
Channing, who shared a series of adorable childhood photos of herself earlier this week, will soon star in Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice, previously titled P***y Island.
The highly anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine set box office records with a $205 million opening weekend gross, breaking the record for the biggest R-rated film debut; Reynolds is pictured in costume with Hugh Jackman
Channing next stars as a charming yet sinister billionaire who lures a waitress (Naomi Ackie) and her girlfriend to his private island in his fiancée Zoē Kravitz’s directorial debut, Blink Twice.
When the woman’s friend (Alia Shakwat) disappears, she must solve the mystery that has gripped the billionaire’s guests; pictured with Adria Arjona
He plays a seemingly charming billionaire who invites a waitress (Naomi Ackie) to his private island for what she expects to be a pampered vacation.
But when her friend (played by Alia Shawkat) disappears, while the billionaire’s other guests and employees behave strangely, she begins to fear for her safety.
The film also stars Adria Arjona (Hitter), Christian Slater, Simon Rex (Red Rocket), Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment and Geena Davis.
Channing began a romantic relationship in 2021, before filming began, and the two got engaged last year.