Australian actor Hugh Jackman made a cheeky joke at his long-time friend Ryan Reynolds‘ expense during a performance on Friday. The 56-year-old performer, best known for playing Wolverine in the X-Men film franchise, took an unexpected detour during his show at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.
Hugh, who recently confirmed his relationship with his former Music Man co-star Sutton Foster, left the audience in stitches as he shared a hilarious anecdote about how Ryan, 48, managed to get under his skin while they were filming their blockbuster superhero film Deadpool & Wolverine.
The Oscar-nominated actor expressed his love for shooting the movie and described it as the “time of his life”. However, he did mention having “one little gripe”; being excluded from the Marvel film’s musical number. “Don’t tell Ryan,” the Greatest Showman star humorously warned the audience during his musical review, titled From New York, With Love.
In footage obtained by Daily Mail, Hugh then pointed out that he and Ryan shared screen time in every scene of the film – except for the opening sequence where Deadpool had to locate Wolverine. “Now that’s fine, I don’t need to be in every scene in the movie. But Ryan is a writer,” the dad-of-two explained.
“And when I see the script, I notice that the one scene I’m not in is the opening sequence which features a dance number to an NSYNC song performed by Ryan. I thought, the only scene I’m not in involves dancing. Now Ryan, he’s very talented, but dancing?”
As the audience burst into fits of laughter, Hugh then announced his intention to “rectify” the situation. He made it clear that he wouldn’t be attempting to mimic the film’s choreographer, Darrin Henson’s work. However, he couldn’t resist taking another dig at Ryan by pointing out that he didn’t even do his own dancing.
“There is no way I would try and match Ryan’s dance double Nick Pauley… because the guy’s like 25 years old,” Hugh jibed. Next, he introduced his trainer, Beth Lewis – who had a “past life” as a dancer – to assist him in performing “the dance that got away.”
Much to the audience’s delight, Hugh then tried to outshine Ryan by dancing to NSYNC’s massive 2000 hit Bye Bye Bye – but took things to a new level. As he paid homage to the scene from Deadpool & Wolverine, Hugh skipped rope throughout the performance.
He managed to keep time while flipping his arms and sweeping the rope from side to side, before dramatically landing on the rope to mark the end of the dance.
Making the most of his singing and dancing talents, Hugh Jackman last month launched a theatre company to produce “intimate and accessible” shows alongside Broadway and West End producer Sonia Friedman. Together will see the pair work alongside director Ian Rickson to create full-length shows that give audiences “a chance to experience theatre in a fresh and engaging way” in the UK, US and other countries.
The pair say the company will focus on equal pay for actors and shared creative credit, by “stripping the fully rehearsed productions down to their essentials” making the small venue shows as affordable as possible.
In a joint statement, Hugh and Sonia said: “With director Ian Rickson we wanted to create a company where actors, writers, and directors could experiment, explore, and take risks, away from the pressures that are often associated with the commercial theatre world.
“Together is about going back to basics, rediscovering the simple, thrilling essence of live performance. At the same time, this isn’t about our stepping away from Broadway or the West End, it’s about supporting and co-existing alongside them.
“We have always been drawn to theatre because of its raw energy — the excitement of a first reading, the joy of stepping into an unexpected role, that sense of a shared experience. With Ian, this company is our way of sharing those moments with audiences, making them part of our process.
“We also want to embrace flexibility — whether that’s through varied performance schedules during the week or staging plays in repertoire, allowing productions and ideas to evolve in a spontaneous and organic way. By removing some of the usual constraints, we hope to create a space where the productions can feel fresh, alive, and ever-changing.”
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