Ryan Reynolds’ heroic antics are being translated out of the big screen into real life as the ‘Deadpool’ star shared a sweet message on Facebook, showing his support for Connor McGrath, a 13-year-old being treated for an advanced form of leukemia in Alberta, Canada.
"He's quite possibly the biggest #Deadpool fan on earth," Reynolds wrote. The actor also revealed that McGrath was the first person to watch the highly anticipated comic-book film.
Regardless of the big age gap, Reynolds recognized certain traits in McGrath, who is currently in the same situation as the actor's onscreen character.
"Like Wade Wilson, Connor's trying to put cancer in his rearview mirror,” the 39-year-old actor said.
However, their similarities are not merely reflected by the medical conditions that they are experiencing; rather, Reynolds shared that McGrath has more in common with the superhero’s remarkable traits.
"Of course, the Deadpool was right up his alley because Connor's the funniest, potty-mouthed Canadian mercenary I've ever met," he said.
McGrath was diagnosed with High-Risk Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in July 2013 and relapsed in May 2015. Reynolds is then encouraging others to find time in helping out his young pal as he struggles with the disease.
"I know lots of celebrities jump up and down touting a cause¬--and maybe I'm no different… I love this kid. He's the GREATEST,” the actor added in his post.
To this point, donors have brought in more than $34,000 of the $800,000 goal.
Meanwhile, Reynolds has already discussed how he waited more than a decade to star in his dream ‘Deadpool’ project.
“I started reading the rest of the comic books and I was referenced a few more times in there, just me as a person. I just loved that. I also loved that it broke every traditional rule that comic books or comic book movies have,” the Vancouver native recalled.
Helmed by Tim Miller, ‘Deadpool’ is based on the character of the same name from Marvel Comics. It recently smashed records with a remarkable haul of $135 million for its opening weekend.
In the movie, Reynolds takes on the role of Wade Wilson, a mercenary who makes the most of his time protecting teenage girls from stalkers in New York City. Later on, he finds out he has terminal cancer and comes across a suspicious recruiter for a secret program that is promised to treat his cancer. However, during the rogue experiment, Wade is left with accelerated healing powers, eventually adopting his alter ego, Deadpool.
When asked about the experience of playing the character, Reynolds said that doing the film had been “a dream come true” for him.
“I produced this movie exclusively to protect Deadpool, to protect the origin story of Deadpool, to protect the canon of Deadpool, and just to make sure that what we put on screen is the most authentic version of Deadpool that could ever be represented on screen,” the actor emphasized.
