Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds have been in a goodnatured "feud" since working on 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine together, and Jackman just fired his latest shot. For his former costar's 44th birthday on October 23, the Greatest Showman star shared a dorky snap of his fake mortal enemy to remind all of his followers that Reynolds wasn't always the chiseled movie star he is today. "Happy birthday lil’ buddy," Jackman captioned the extremely '90s shot, which shows a teen (or tween?) Reynolds wearing an oversized printed shirt and going in on a drum set.
Instagram/thehughjackman
As ever between these two Marvel stars, there were apparently no hard feelings. Reynolds shared the post to his own Instagram story, adding text that reads, "I was the Buddy Rich of bad drumming." (Rich, for those not in the know, was a very good drummer.)
In case you're wondering how this whole back-and-forth got started (and you can be sure that Reynolds will source an embarrassing pic of Jackman to retaliate), Jackman told The Daily Beast earlier this year that it all leads back to Scarlett Johansson, who was married to Reynolds from 2008 to 2011.
"I met him back on Wolverine, and I used to ream him because I was very close friends with Scarlett, and Scarlett had just married Ryan, so when he came on set I was like, 'Hey, you better be on your best behavior here, pal, because I’m watching,' and we started ribbing each other that way," Jackman said, adding that "it all escalated" when Deadpool came out in 2016. (Some of the flick's cheeky social marketing involved roasting Jackman and that poorly received Wolverine flick where the two actors met.) It took Jackman a minute to think back to the inciting incident, though. "God, this is a classic sign where your feud has gone too long, where you don’t even know why or how it started!" he laughed in the interview.
For some of our favorite Jackman/Reynolds jabs, keep reading. And for stars who aren't so sure about this fame thing, check out 17 Major Celebrities Who Actually Hate the Spotlight.
1 | Reynolds is an unprepared interviewer
YouTube/JoBlo Movie TrailersIn 2016, Reynolds interviewed Jackman about his new filmEddie the Eagle, starring Taron Egerton as real British Olympian Michael Edwards and Hugh Jackman as his reluctant ski jumping coach. His questions included gems like, "Do you do your own acting?" and "How much of Hugh Jackman's immense success is raw talent and how much is just advantageous bone structure?"
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2 | Wolverine and Deadpool get cozy
YouTube/JoBlo Movie TrailersJackman, in a bathrobe, attempted to introduce the trailer for Deadpool 2 and simultaneously wish Reynolds a happy birthday back in 2018. He was repeatedly interrupted by Deadpool himself, lounging in an unmade bed and singing "Tomorrow" from Annie.
To see where your favorite comic book movie falls, we're Ranking Every Marvel Movie, From Worst Reviewed to Best.
3 | Reynolds unleashes an anti-Jackman political ad
Twitter/VanCityReynoldsJackman stirred up some awards buzz when he starred in the 2018 political drama The Frontrunner, but Reynolds wasn't having it. He debuted this political attack ad parody on his Twitter, alleging—among other things—that Jackman is from Milwaukee, not Australia, and thus, Reynolds should get all his Academy votes.
Jackman obviously took a shot back at him, taking responsibility for the naming of Reynolds as People's Sexiest Man Alive in 2010. ("The year after he met Hugh—coincidence? Please.")
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4 | Reynolds offers his sympathy to Jackman's wife
Everett Collection/ShutterstockIn April 2020, Jackman posted a vintage photo of him and wife Deborra-Lee Furness on Instagram to celebrate their 24th anniversary. "Hang in there, Deb," Reynolds commented.
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