Jake Gyllenhaal thinks Ryan Reynolds should have got Oscar nomination

Earlier this week Hollywood’s gaze was focused on the Oscar nominations which were announced on Tuesday and as ever, many had their opinions about who should and shouldn’t have been shortlisted for a “little golden statue”. There were a few snubs for sure but one there was one in particular that actor Jake Gyllenhaal thought should have been recognised: Ryan Reynolds.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly at a Q&A for his latest film, Nocturnal Animals, Gyllenhaal spoke about the Oscars and one performance that he felt deserved a nomination was Reynolds for his role in Deadpool. The comic-book adaptation, which was one of 2016’s biggest box-office success, was put forward for consideration for the big prizes (albeit with tongue firmly in cheek) but the Brokeback Mountain star thought Reynolds should have been in the mix, saying:

“We talk about brilliant performances all the time, you know, the actors who tear themselves apart for their roles, which I’m a believer in. But then I look at Ryan Reynolds in Deadpool and I say, ‘No one can do that but him,'”

“That is truly, purely him. As an artist, he struggled for several years to figure that out and it’s all there on the screen… And it’s brilliant.”

Ending its worldwide run on an estimated $760million, Deadpool was a project Reynolds had wanted to play for over a decade (X-Men: Origins – Wolverine notwithstanding) and after years of trying (and a test footage leak later), 20th Century Fox greenlit the film for $58million and the rest is history with the sequel due to start shooting this year ahead of its release in 2018.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Reynolds though – he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance (Best Actor – Musical or Comedy) while the film was also in the mix for the Best Musical or Comedy category. It lost of both counts to La La Land (and Ryan Gosling) but the nominations alone were a big statement of respect for the project.

Gyllenhaal and Reynolds star together in sci-fi thriller Life, due for release on March 24th, 2017.