Wesley Snipes ‘hated’ Ryan Reynolds before Deadpool & Wolverine

Before Deadpool & Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds worked with Wesley Snipes on Blade: Trinity – and they did not get along.

Ryan Reynolds appeared in three superhero movies before taking on the Deadpool mantle: Green Lantern, X-Men Origins: Wolverine (yeah, he played Wade Wilson, but it doesn’t count), and Blade: Trinity, Snipes’ third and final outing as the Daywalker.

He played Hannibal King in the 2004 threequel, a fellow vampire hunter. However, despite Reynolds’ best efforts, Snipes famously didn’t respond well to his improvisational style on set.

Speaking to IGN in 2012, Reynolds said the reports of their feud had been overblown, but explained how Snipes’ method acting put them at odds with each other.

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“My personality is the polar opposite of Wesley. I never met Wesley, I only met Blade, and he is a method actor… whatever it takes for him or anyone else to get through that in a way that is artistically fulfilling to them, I have the utmost respect for,” he said, before admitting that he actively tried to make him laugh.

“There’s a moment in the movie where I look up at Jessica and I swear to God, I didn’t even know the cameras were rolling anymore and I say, ‘He hates me, doesn’t he?’ And she’s like, ‘Yeah’,” he recalled.

“I’m just saying this about my relationship as Ryan Reynolds to this guy, and it works. The ad-libs are just born of that.

“There’s another one where I do a dime store psychoanalysis of him where I say, ‘You ever thought about sitting down and talking with someone, getting in touch with your inner child, and also you might want to try blinking once in a while.’ He just looks at me like he’s gonna turn me into ass pulp.”

Snipes reprises his role as Blade in Deadpool & Wolverine, suggesting their beef is water under the bridge. The movie even pokes fun at it, with Blade telling Deadpool, “I don’t like you,” and the Merc replying: “You never did.”

With the film in cinemas now, read our Deadpool & Wolverine review, check out our breakdown of Deadpool & Wolverine’s Easter eggs and its ending explained. You can also keep up with all of the San Diego Comic-Con 2024 announcements.