Deadpool and Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackson have been out and about promoting their latest superhero adventure.
During an interview with Andy Cohen on SiriusXM on Friday, July 19, the two actors talked about making the film with director Shawn Levy, and specifically the lengths they went to to get a Madonna song into the final cut.
It turns out that Reynolds and Jackman, along with Levy, joined forces and met with the Material Girl in person in hopes of getting her permission to license Like A Prayer for the film.
“For that, we personally visited Madonna and showed her the scene where Like a Prayer would be used,” Levy, 55, explained to Cohen and the audience.
Reynolds, 47, interrupted her with a comment about how difficult it can be to get Madonna to license one of her songs, particularly Like A Prayer, the lead single and title track from her fourth studio album.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman opened up about how they convinced Madonna to approve her 1989 hit Like A Prayer in their new Deadpool & Wolverine film
Reynolds and Jackman, along with director Shawn Levy, met with the Material Girl in person in hopes of getting her permission to license Like A Prayer for the film
“It was a big step to ask for it and an even bigger step to use it,” the Wade Wilson/Deadpool actor admitted of the 1989 blockbuster, adding, “We went over, met her, and showed her how and where and why it was used.
Levy joined the conversation and said that meeting the legendary pop star felt like meeting ‘royalty’.
Reynolds, the longtime comedian, said he asked one of Madonna’s team members if she had a preference for how she wanted to be addressed when first introduced.
“Can I just say ‘Madonna?'” he recalled their conversation. “Like, ‘Hi Madonna, I’m Ryan.'”
Not only did Madonna approve the license for the song’s use, she also wrote a few notes about parts of Like A Prayer that she felt would fit perfectly.
“She gave a great note,” Reynolds said. “She watched it, and I’m not kidding, [she said]”You have to do this.” And damn it, she wasn’t right.
Levy agreed to the review and then they implemented the change within two days.
“We literally started a new recording session within 48 hours to get this note. … It made the sequence better,” Levy added.
He recalled the meeting during an interview with Andy Cohen on SiriusXM on Friday, July 19 (pictured)
“It was a big deal to ask for it and definitely an even bigger deal to use it,” the Wade Wilson/Deadpool actor admitted of the 1989 blockbuster
Ultimately, Madonna gave her approval for the licensing of Like A Prayer for Deadpool & Wolverine, along with some comments about where she thought the clips should be placed.
He didn’t ask her if she’d seen any films from the popular franchise, but it seems the fact that the Queen Of Pop’s son was a fan of the first two Deadpool films ultimately helped their case.
Like A Prayer, which she co-wrote with Patrick Leonard, contains elements of pop, rock, gospel and funk and became Madonna’s seventh number one hit in 1989.
The album was also critically acclaimed and became an international success, reaching the top of the charts in 20 countries.
Deadpool & Wolverine is the third film in the popular Deadpool franchise that has been a worldwide box office success.
Deadpool was released in 2016 and grossed $782.8 million against a budget of $58 million.
The sequel, Deadpool 2 (2018), was an equally big hit with fans, in terms of box office, grossing $785.8 million against a budget of $110 million.
Deadpool & Wolverine will be released in cinemas in the UK on July 22, and in the US four days later on July 26.
The actors were spotted on the promotional trail in NYC on Saturday afternoon
Jackman also plays James ‘Logan’ Howlett / Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine. The first time he played him was over twenty years ago.
He recently played the iconic role in Logan (2017), which also became a huge hit, grossing $619.2 million against a budget of $97-127 million.
The two previous franchise films began with X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and The Wolverine (2013), both of which were successful at the box office, although neither surpassed the $415 million mark.
Jackman also played Logan/Wolverine in the ensemble casts of X-Men (2000), X2 (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
Deadpool & Wolverine opens in UK cinemas on July 22 and in the US four days later on July 26.