How Ryan Reynolds’ major sacrifice for ‘Deadpool’ franchise finally paid off

Ryan Reynolds believed so strongly in Deadpool that he forwent his salary to ensure the film’s success.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, the 47-year-old Marvel star explained why he prioritised the film’s quality over his own paycheck.

“No part of me was thinking when Deadpool was finally greenlit that this would be a success. I even let go of getting paid to do the movie just to put it back on the screen,” he recalled.

Instead, Reynolds used what would’ve been his salary to make sure his co-writers, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, could always be on set, forming an impromptu writer’s room.

Highlighting the constraints they initially faced, the father of four reflected, “I think one of the great enemies of creativity is too much time and money, and that movie had neither time nor money.”

He explained, “It really fostered focusing on character over spectacle, which is a little harder to execute in a comic-book movie.”

Reynolds' gamble ultimately paid off, as the franchise is now worth over $1 billion; the first movie made $782 with a budget of $58 million, while its sequel earned $785 million against a $110 million budget.

A film industry analyst told Business Insider that the upcoming third iteration, Deadpool & Wolverine, which hits theaters on July 26, could potentially make $1 billion on its own.