I’ve asked it before and I’ll keep on asking it until I get a definitive answer: where exactly does Ryan Reynolds end and Wade Wilson begin? Just like Robert Downey Jr. (perhaps even more so, honestly), Reynolds has ruined Deadpool for any other actor, as he’s not just perfect for the character… He is the character. Yet more proof? He’s just pranked best frenemy Hugh Jackman on a citywide level.
Reynolds and Jackman are currently embarking on the Deadpool & Wolverine world tour to promote the incoming Marvel threequel on a global stage. The latest leg of their trip has seen them travel to South Korea’s Seoul, even hanging out with Stray Kids and getting K-pop fans almost as hyped to see the movie as Swifties. While there, Reynolds apparently decided not to leave the Broadway fans out either when he hijacked a billboard to troll his Australian bestie.
In a hilarious TikTok video, Reynolds revealed that he’s acquired a billboard (through legal means, we hope) so he could honor Hugh. He then turns the phone around to reveal the cast-iron evidence — a gigantic video screen above Seoul that’s playing about 10 seconds of Hugh Jackman’s performance in Oklahoma! on a loop.
As a Hugh Jackman-obsessed colleague informs me, the Logan star appeared in a 1999 made-for-TV adaptation of the iconic musical, and in the clip Reynolds decided to broadcast to all of Seoul Jackman’s Curly McLain is in the midst of singing the musical’s most famous song, “Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin’.” Well, it probably was a beautiful morning before Jackman’s looped singing drove the people of Seoul crazy.
In a weird way, though, this is kind of the perfect tribute to Jackman. When Oklahoma! came out in 1999, he was just one year away from getting his big break in 2000’s X-Men, the success of which ensured he would play Logan for the next 17 years. And then again, seven years later, for Deadpool & Wolverine. It’s a testament to how far Jackman’s career has come since the days he had to make do with headlining TV movies.
Now we just need Hugh to get his revenge. May I suggest playing Green Lantern on a loop in Times Square?