Channing Tatum had nothing but kind words for his friend Ryan Reynolds in an adoring Instagram post from Monday.
The 44-year-old Magic Mike star shared photos of himself posing with Ryan, 47, at Comic-Cons years apart as he sang the Deadpool & Wolverine star’s praises for having his back when others didn’t in the wake of Reynold’s new movie breaking the record for the highest-grossing opening of an R-rated film.
He noted that the photos of himself and the Marvel star were snapped nearly a decade apart, and the older picture was taken at the same Comic-Con that Ryan unveiled a sneak peek of the first Deadpool film, which Channing was in the audience to see.
‘I ran back stage right after and found him and I think I just hugged him and was like holy s*** you did it man,’ he recalled. ‘It’s perfect.’
Although he admitted that he didn’t know Ryan well at the time, since then he could confidently say that ‘there is almost no one that has had my back in this industry more than Ryan.’
Channing Tatum, 44, praised Ryan Reynolds in an Instagram post from Tuesday for supporting him more than almost anyone in Hollywood. He included photos of the two at Comic-Cons nearly a decade apart
In a post with mild spoilers, Channing referenced getting a chance to finally play the X-Men figure Gambit in Deadpool & Wolverine; pictured July 11 in Madrid, Spain
He shared some mild Deadpool & Wolverine spoilers while thanking Ryan for helping him resuscitate a character who was close to his heart.
‘I thought I had lost Gambit forever. But he fought for me and Gambit. I will owe him probably forever,’ Channing wrote, referencing the X-Men superhero that he was intending to play in a standalone film.
However, the project was scuttled by Disney after it bought 20th Century Fox, which had previously owned the rights to the X-Men characters.
After the merger, Disney — which already own Marvel Studios, the home of the Avengers — was able to consolidate more of the Marvel superheroes, including the X-Men, though many of the biggest stars to appear as the famous mutants are done playing their characters or nearing the end of their potential runs.
‘I’m not sure how I could ever do something that would be equal to what this has meant to me,’ Channing gushed after Ryan helped him achieve one of his cinematic dreams.
‘I love ya buddy,’ he added, while also including thanks to Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy, whom he called, ‘Truly such a brilliant creator on every single level.’
The Blink Twice star concluded by opining that ‘All things happen for a reason.’
‘I’m so grateful to be in this movie. It’s a masterpiece in my opinion,’ he enthused. ‘And just pure bad a** joy. I was literally screaming in the theater. LFG!!’
‘I thought I had lost Gambit forever. But he fought for me and Gambit. I will owe him probably forever,’ Channing wrote. ‘I’m not sure how I could ever do something that would be equal to what this has meant to me’; the two are pictured at the 2024 Comic-Con in San Diego
Ryan shared his own compliments, calling Channing ‘not only a once in a generation talent’ but also ‘a genuinely good man’
To emphasize Channing’s gratitude over finally getting to play Gambit, he was wearing a stylized T-shirt featuring the comic book character in both photos of himself and Ryan, despite them being separated by nearly a decade.
The black T-shirt featured a stylized rectangular face for Gambit, in which he wore the headgear he is usually depicted with in the comics, along with a shock of colorful hair poking out from the top.
‘Check your pockets,’ read the shirt’s text.
The two men looked slightly older but still impressively youthful in the photo from this year’s Comic-Con.
Channing’s shirt appeared to be the same but with a different hair color for Gambit, and Ryan had changed out his stylish brown jacket for a pale pink button-up short-sleeve shirt.
In his Instagram Stories, the Deadpool star returned the compliments while reposting Channing’s photo.
‘Imagine having a front row seat to this guy. He’s not only a once in a generation talent but he’s a genuinely good man,’ Ryan gushed about Channing.
‘I know what it feels like to will a character into existence. Chan did that. And then put the most vivid version of that character on the screen like he was born to play this one guy,’ he said of the Gambit cameo.
‘We’ve shared two San Diego Comic Con’s [sic]. Two of the best days in my life happened while @channingtatum wore this shirt. Coincidence or conspiracy?’ he concluded on a humorous note, before including a poll so that fans could vote on if it was a ‘coincidence’ or a ‘conspiracy.’
Channing, who shared some adorable childhood photos of himself earlier this week, will next be starring in Zoë Kravitz’s feature directorial debut Blink Twice, which previously had the more risqué title P***y Island.
The highly anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine soared to box office records with $205 million in receipts for its opening weekend, which broke the record for biggest R-rated film debut; Reynolds is pictured in costume with Hugh Jackman
Channing next stars as a charming yet sinister billionaire who lures a waitress (Naomi Ackie) and her friend to his private island in his fiancée Zoē Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice
When the woman’s friend (Alia Shakwat) disappears, she’s left to figure out the mystery taking hold of the billionaire’s guests; pictured with Adria Arjona
He plays a seemingly charming billionaire who invites a waitress (Naomi Ackie) to his private island for what she expects to be a pampered vacation.
But when her friend (played by Alia Shawkat) disappears amid bizarre behavior from the other guests and the billionaire’s employees, she starts to fear for her safety.
The film also stars Hit Man’s Adria Arjona, Christian Slater, Red Rocket star Simon Rex, Kyle MacLachlan, Haley Joel Osment and Geena Davis.
Channing began a romantic relationship in 2021, before filming began, and the two got engaged last year.
