Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman reveal lengths they went to get Madonna's permission to use Like A Prayer in Deadpool & Wolverine film
- Have YOU got a story? Email [email protected]
Deadpool & Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackson have been out en force promoting their latest superhero adventure.
During an interview with Jess Cagle on SiriusXM on Friday, July 19, the two actors dished on the making of the movie with director Shawn Levy, and in particular the lengths they went to get a Madonna song into the final cut.
It turns out Reynolds and Jackman, along with Levy, teamed up together and met with the Material Girl in person in hopes of getting her to give her permission to license Like A Prayer for the film.
'It did involve a personal visit to Madonna, where we showed Madonna the sequence where Like a Prayer would be used,' Levy, 55, explained to Cohen and the audience.
Reynolds, 47, made a point of interjecting to share how difficult it can be to get Madonna to license one of her songs, especially Like A Prayer which is the lead single and title track for her fourth studio album.
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman dished about how they got Madonna to approve the usage of 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 to give her permission to license Like A Prayer for the film
'It was a big deal to ask for it and certainly a bigger deal to use it,' the Wade Wilson / Deadpool actor confessed about the 1989 smash hit, before adding, 'We went over and met with her and sort of showed her how it was being used, and where, and why.
Levy chimed in on the topic of conversation to reveal how the meeting with the legendary pop superstar felt like they were 'meeting royalty.'
Always the comedian, Reynolds said he asked one of Madonna's team if she had a preference to how she likes to be addressed when introduced the first time.
'Like am I allowed to just say, "Madonna?"' he recalled of their conversation. 'Like, '"Hello Madonna, I'm Ryan."'
Not only did Madonna sign off on the licensing for usage of the song, she also wrote down a few notes on where she though certain parts of Like A Prayer would be a perfect fit.
'She gave a great note,' Reynolds said. 'She watched it, and I'm not kidding, [she said], "You need to do this." And damn it, if she wasn't like spot on.'
Levy agreed with the assessment and then they proceeded to make the change within the next two days.
'We literally went into a new recording session within 48 hours to do this note. ... It made the sequence better,' Levy added.
The 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 certainly a bigger deal to use it,' the Wade Wilson / Deadpool actor confessed about the 1989 smash hit
Ultimately, Madonna gave her approval for Like A Prayer to be licensed for Deadpool & Wolverine, along with some notes on where she thought the clips should be dropped in
While he didn't ask if she had seen any of the popular franchise, it sounds as if the Queen Of Pop's son being a fan of the first two Deadpool films may have helped their cause in the end.
Co-written with Patrick Leonard, Like A Prayer, and its elements of pop, rock, gospel, and funk, went on to become Madonna's seventh number one hit at the time in 1989.
The album also received universal acclaim from music critics,, and went on to become an international success, reaching the top of the charts in 20 countries.
Deadpool & Wolverine is the third film in the popular Deadpool franchise that's been a hit at the worldwide box office.
Deadpool was released in 2016 and went on to gross $782.8 million against a budget of $58 million.
The sequel, Deadpool 2 (2018), was as big a hit with fans, in term of the moneymaking, Raking in $785.8 million while working with a budget of $110 million.
Deadpool & Wolverine is set to drop in theaters in the Uk on July 22, and then in the U.S. four days later on July 26
The actors were spotted on the promo trail on Saturday afternoon in NYC
Deadpool & Wolverine also stars Jackman, as James 'Logan' Howlett / Wolverine, after playing him for the first time more than two decades ago.
Most recently, he played the iconic role in Logan (2017), which also went on to be a smash hit earning $619.2 million after spending $97-127 million on the budget.
The two previous franchise films started with X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) and The Wolverine (2013), both of which were successful at the box office, although neither of them topped the $415 million mark.
Jackman also played Logan/Wolverine in the ensemble casts in X-Men (2000), X2 (2003), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
Deadpool & Wolverine is set to drop in theaters in the Uk on July 22, and then in the U.S. four days later on July 26.
