Former GREEN LANTERN Ryan Reynolds Feels Bad For The Cast of FANTASTIC FOUR
Ryan Reynolds is finally bringing Deadpool to life the way he wants to this February, but he's seen his fair share of scorn from the fanboy community for his starring role in 2011's Green Lantern, Warner Bros. and DC's failed attempt to kickstart a franchise. So he's uniquely suited to be able to empathize with the talented young cast of Josh Trank's recent Fantastic Four adaptation, another massive failure that was torn to shreds by critics and fans. When asked by GQ how he feels about young talent being sucked into big franchises, part of his response involved a reaction to some of the sexism and racism that's still endemic in Hollywood today:
“But I’m more frustrated about the Michael B. Jordan aspect than Miles Teller. You know, Miles Teller’s gonna recover. Miles Teller’s gonna go on to do amazing things, you know. It’s important that Michael B. Jordan continues to go on and do amazing things.”
And you feel like they’ll make it harder for a black actor than for a white one?
“I know it’s not easy for a black actor. It’s not easy for a female actor. It’s not easy for a lot of people that are... That entire cast is amazingly talented. And I wouldn’t wish that on anybody. I mean, I know what that feels like. It doesn’t feel good. And it also is difficult, because you don’t feel like you can control that outcome. You know, as much as you want to. You can’t really.”
I agree that the industry as a whole would probably allow Teller a fresh opportunity before it gave a similar one to Jordan or Kate Mara, but thankfully it looks like Jordan already has his comeback role lined up with this year's Creed, and Mara does well with a small role in Ridley Scott's The Martian, so I think both of them are going to end up doing just fine.
The whole interview is worth a read, but Reynolds also spoke a bit about the superhero genre and the perceived audience fatigue after this summer's movies:
“It’s a genre. There are good horror movies and bad horror movies. There are good comedies and bad comedies. Think of it like that. Think of it less about just superheroes. I do believe that they explore similar archetypes a lot, so I think that notion can be somewhat fatiguing, maybe. I think one of the reasons that Deadpool has gained a lot of momentum isn’t just that it’s funny or isn’t just that it’s rated R. The meta aspect is very important. So I think Deadpool’s coming along at the right time, because it’s also speaking to that generation and that group of people that have seen them all, seen all these comic-book films and enjoyed them all to varying degrees of success. But I think it’s speaking to them as though the guy in that red suit is one of them, to some degree.”
Via: AV Club