Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to talk about their new docuseries 'Welcome to Wrexham' and the realities of owning a football club.
00:00So they were pulling you guys, so you did it first, just so it's out there.
00:04Let's put that right there in The Hollywood Reporter.
00:06We did it first.
00:07It just took us two years.
00:08I imagine Bill Lawrence had a pilot script for Ted Lasso before us, I imagine.
00:13That's my guess.
00:14Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are your real-life Ted Lasso's.
00:18The duo made headlines last year after purchasing Wrexham AFC,
00:23a fifth-tier football club from Wales that competes in the National League.
00:26For two American stars, owning a soccer team seemed like an out-of-the-box move for many.
00:32The two chatted with The Hollywood Reporter, giving insight into their decision
00:35after chronicling their journey as owners of the club in the upcoming FX docuseries,
00:40Welcome to Wrexham.
00:41It's an underdog story.
00:43And it's about interconnectivity between the club and the community.
00:46Listen, some people have called this your real-life Ted Lasso moment.
00:50You guys even got a shout-out in season two.
00:53What's your take on all the comparisons?
00:55And also, where do things stand now?
00:58I know there are biscuits delivered at one point, so what's the status?
01:01Jason called me not about football at all, but about working with Apple.
01:06Because Ted Lasso had not even come out yet.
01:10And I have a show called Mythic Quest, and he was just asking me about what it's like to work with Apple.
01:13And we were talking, just swapping stories, just about the process.
01:16And then I mentioned to him something about, he asked, what am I doing next?
01:20And I mentioned this football endeavor.
01:22And then he told me what his show was about.
01:26And I was like, oh man, we got to get our show out before his.
01:28But I think they beat us by about two years.
01:30I think they beat us.
01:31So they were pulling you guys, so you did it first, just so it's out there.
01:36Let's put that right there in the Hollywood Reporter.
01:38We did it first.
01:38It just took us two years.
01:40I imagine Bill Lawrence had a pilot script for Ted Lasso before us, I imagine.
01:44That's my guess.
01:45Reynolds says he didn't claim to be an expert on the sport prior to being involved with the club, but now call the two addicted.
01:52It's one of those sports that I understand now why it's the most popular sport on the planet.
01:56It's just, it's like an absolutely legal drug.
01:59It is a narcotic that should be banned everywhere because I'm obsessed with it now and I wish I wasn't.
02:04But it is truly, I think, understanding it and falling in love with Wrexham, the town, the community, the club, the personnel, it's really changed my life.
02:14Touching on the media coverage surrounding their purchase at Wrexham, the two note that they were aware of the pressure surrounding their decision.
02:21If this goes south, there's not a lot of avenues that you can take.
02:26You start to burn money at such a rate that it becomes exponential.
02:32And that's what happens with a lot of these clubs and that's why they're tumbling down out of the leagues.
02:36Because each time you get relegated, you lose television contracts, you lose sponsorships, and it's really difficult to get back up.
02:43So, you know, we have a long-term plan, but we can't go into an editing room and fix the movie or fix the TV show.
02:51Real life has to play out.
02:53And so there is a version of this where these things do not go well and we have to figure out what the next move is.
02:58It's no secret Wrexham is seen as underdogs in the league, something Reynolds and McElhenney say they related to in their own respective fields.
03:06For you guys, what was either a movie or a project that you worked on where you really felt like the total underdog and you felt that imposter syndrome really set in?
03:14I would say from my perspective, it was, you know, I would say Deadpool.
03:20I mean, I was trying, for 10 years I was trying to get that thing made and, you know, and then when I was finally at the precipice of actually getting to shoot it, I was, you know, I was getting cold feet because there's so much at stake.
03:29So I really felt that a little bit with Deadpool because I'd been in the comic book arena before to no real success.
03:36And I thought, wow, if this doesn't work, I'm going to let people down.
03:40And I, and I, that was my biggest fear was just letting, letting folks down who loved this character.
03:45Certainly for us, um, Sonny, um, in, in the very beginning, um, really for the first four or five seasons, uh, where we felt like we were not really getting any traction, but we kept showing up and doing our best work and trying to figure out if we could find an audience.
04:00Now, even though Wrexham's first season under the two did not pan out the way they hoped, they're both gearing up and excited for the season ahead.
04:08And with the purchase of Wrexham, McElhenney was quick to point out that Reynolds is no short of business ventures outside of Hollywood.
04:15You have movie star money, alcohol money, Mint Mobile money, and cybersecurity money.
04:22My question is, what are all those things going to get you next?
04:26That's one aspect of why I brought him on.
04:29It sounded like four.
04:30He's globally famous.
04:32What was the connection between you and Wrexham Football Club?
04:34We had no direct connection.
04:36It was just a feeling.
04:38What me and my dad thought was, because Wrexham's red, Deadpool's red, though.
04:43That's the real reason.
04:44Sorry.
04:44Welcome to Wrexham premieres on August 24th on FX.
04:48For more on this story, head to THR.com.
04:51And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.
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