As fans await any biting news about Deadpool 4 from its star and creative Ryan Reynolds, whose behind-the-scenes work recently included that viral Channing Tatum Super Bowl commercial, the actor’s most recent on-screen work came via NBC’s star-studded SNL50: The Anniversary Special, which is still available to stream with a Peacock subscription. There, he made a surprise appearance next to loving wife Blake Lively, lightly poking fun at her ongoing It Ends with Us legal battle.
The couple was reportedly hesitant about making the public appearance in the midst of an increasingly testy lawsuit involving It Ends with Us filmmaker Justin Baldoni, but still showed up anyway. And while the writers penned what was likely an innocent joke for him to dish out during the audience-focused segment with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, SNL’s cue card maestro Wally Feresten shared that the Green Lantern actor suggested the line that ended up in the show.
Appearing on Fifi, Fev & Nick for Breakfast to talk about the Saturday Night Live special and the surviving art of cue card preparation, Feresten was asked if Reynolds’ winking moment was improvised at all, and shared this:
He had a different line in rehearsal and he pitched that to replace it. That was his idea to do it. We wouldn’t want to do anything too controversial unless they were in on it. So yeah, that was his line. That was his idea to do it.
Understandably, SNL's writing team didn't want to create any further controversies by asking Ryan Reynolds to directly address anything litigious and legally binding without his consent and comfort. But when the comedic talent made it clear he was okay with it, and offered up his own vague nod to it, I can assume the show's staffers were a mix of surprised and pleased.
Ryan Reynold's SNL50 Joke
For those who may have missed it — that doesn't include Justin Baldoni's lawyer, who commented on the moment — here's how Reynolds' exchange with the former Weekend Update hosts went after an amusing beat involving Quinta Brunson and Tim Meadows.
- Ryan Reynolds: I have a question.
- Tina Fey: Oh, hey Ryan Reynolds. How's it going?
- Ryan Reynolds: Great... Why, what have you heard?
Delightfully innocent enough if you have zero idea of what's been happening in his personal life. But also delightfully pointed if you've been looped into the legal turmoil from the start.
It remains to be seen how Blake Lively will react whenever she's back in the public eye promoting her upcoming highly anticipated sequel Another Simple Favor at SXSW. She'll probably have some of her own quippy one-liners to share as well.
While the 50th anniversary celebrations may be largely over after all the retrospectives we’ve seen so far, Saturday Night Live Season 50 definitely isn’t over yet, with upcoming guest hosts such as short-lived cast member Shane Gillis and Lady Gaga, who will also be serving as that episode’s musical guest.
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