Hugh Jackman took to Instagram with a plea to Academy voters to leave Ryan Reynolds off the nominations list in the best song category for his performance in “Spirited.”
In a retelling of Charles Dickens’ classic, “A Christmas Carol,” Reynolds and Will Ferrell sing “Good Afternoon,” which made the shortlist in the original song category for the 95th Academy Awards.
Jackman explained in a video that a nomination for Reynolds “would make the next year of my life insufferable.”
“It’s 2023 and I really, really wanted to send out a positive message at the beginning of the year, but recent events have made that impossible,” Jackman said jokingly.
While he had a glowing review of the movie itself, he said if Reynolds wins he will gloat and it will become unbearable.
“I’ve just heard the Academy have shortlisted ‘Good Afternoon’ in the best song category,” Jackman said. “Now, Ryan Reynolds getting a nomination in the best song category would make the next year of my life insufferable. It would. I mean, I have to spend a year with him shooting ‘Wolverine and ‘Deadpool.’”
He wrapped up with, “So, just to recap: love ‘Spirited,’ love Will, love Octavia, love the song ‘Good Afternoon.’ But please, please, from the bottom of my heart, do not validate Ryan Reynolds in this way. Please.”
Reynolds, who had been jokingly feuding with Jackman for years, responded with a tweet.
“I think the deepfakes that sung and danced for Will and I would love to perform at the Oscars,” he wrote, adding in a subsequent tweet, “Also ‘Wolverine and Deadpool,’ bub?”
Jackman also argued Wolverine would be the real star of his collaboration with Reynolds in a new interview for CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?”
“I understand that you’re set to play in the next ‘Deadpool’ movie, even though your character Logan or Wolverine was killed off in the last movie, you’re gonna play Wolverine again for the 10th time. Why?” Wallace asked.
“I mean, you categorize it as the ‘Deadpool’ movie. We like to call a ‘Wolverine 10’ in our house,” Jackman quipped in response.
The actor said he plans to train for six months to get in physical form to the return to the role, which in the past meant him eating about “19 chickens a day.”
“I’m healthy. I have a good place to start,” Jackman told Wallace. “And apologies chickens. Run a mile. Start running now because I’m coming for you.”
For more with Hugh Jackman, new episodes of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” premiere Fridays on HBO Max and Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on CNN.
