Was trouble brewing on the set of Deadpool and Wolverine? Wesley Snipes speaks on his struggles when choosing to return as Blade.
One of the most shocking cameos in Deadpool and Wolverine was the return of Wesley Snipes as Blade. Most fans assumed it wasn’t possible given his infamous feud with the film’s star Ryan Reynolds. However, according to Snipes, the film wasn’t all sunshine and roses, admitting that he wasn’t in the condition to play the Daywalker when he was first asked to return.
“I wasn’t Blade ready, man,” Snipes told Entertainment Weekly in a recent interview. “I don’t walk around as Blade every day, you know what I mean? With a trench coat and shades and fangs in my mouth. We had to work out. We definitely had to get the body, and my biggest concern was being in condition enough to deal with whatever the action was. They didn’t really tell me what the action was going to be, so I prepared for whatever that was going to come.”
“Thankfully, I didn’t have to do as much as I thought I would because the action movies are tough. They’re not easy at all by any means. About a month into it, I got the body right… and then, with the help of a little customized foam well placed in certain areas, it was all good to go, baby. Let’s ride!”
Let’s ride, indeed! Most people likely wouldn’t even think Wesley Snipes missed a stride as Blade in Deadpool and Wolverine. It felt as though the actor had stepped out of his original trilogy directly into this film. Though while a dream come true for many fans, Snipes wasn’t sure he’d ever come back as his iconic hero.
How Wesley Snipes Joined Deadpool And Wolverine
Most probably assumed it took a lot of shmoozing on Ryan Reynolds’ end to get Wesley Snipes to sign on to Deadpool and Wolverine. However, according to Snipes himself, he didn’t think it’d ever be possible for him to return to the role he played nearly two decades ago. But once he got that call from Reynolds, he knew he was in.
“I did not think it was possible…I didn’t think we would be able to pull it off. I didn’t think that Marvel was into it, Disney was into it — also because they had Mahershala [Ali] cast for the next upcoming version of it.” Snipes continued. “I thought it didn’t make sense to me, but [when] you get a call from Ryan Reynolds out of the blue after 20 years, you go, ‘Okay, I got to take this call. Let’s see what this is about,’…He told me the idea… They said ‘yes’ and ‘it’s a go.’ ‘If you’re in, we’re in.’ Here we are.”
It’s interesting that Marvel had never even broached Wesley Snipes to return in any form as Blade before Deadpool and Wolverine. Ryan Reynolds seemed truly set on bringing the impossible to screen with his newest film. And given how well it’s doing at the box office, Snipes’ return may end up being more profitable than his original run as the character!
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