I know you’ve taken one look at this headline and thought: ‘How can somebody make a cameo in a film they’re already starring in?!’
And let me tell you, I thought exactly the same. But then I realised this is Ryan Reynolds we’re talking about, and absolutely anything is possible when he’s in the equation.
So how exactly did it happen? Well, while on the set of his latest film, 6 Underground, Reynolds decided to take a break to film a short video for social media – because why not?
You can check out that video below:
What Reynolds probably didn’t realise was that, while he filmed the (extremely dramatic) stunt going on behind him, he was actually in shot the whole time.
And even if he did realise that, the actor probably didn’t realise that shot is the one that would be used in the final cut. Or maybe he did, and he just wanted to be a part of the action. Who knows?
Twitter user @deadlyfun pointed out the mishap, explaining how Reynolds can be seen stood to the side of a high-speed action sequence taking place just 14 minutes and 42 seconds into the Michael Bay-directed Netflix movie.
When comparing a still frame from Reynolds’ original social media post and a still from the film, the actor’s silhouette can be seen casually leaning against a red wall while a black vehicle is launched into the air behind him.
The on-set video, filmed in Florence, Italy, was posted by Reynolds on September 19 last year. Alongside the video, which is drowned out by noise from the stunt, he says: ‘Best part of shooting with Michael Bay? I don’t know. A lot of people would say the action, but for me, it’s the stillness. Those quiet moments.’
In the actual scene, the actor’s character (well, stuntman) is sat in the passenger seat of the car being pursued in the chase, putting Reynolds in two places at once.
Speaking about the car chase, Paul Wernick – who wrote 6 Underground with Rhett Reese – told The Hollywood Reporter:
We had a chase through Florence, and [Bay] was like ‘Let’s roll through a museum, let’s parkour down the Duomo,’ and we’re just like, ‘Oh my God, yes!’
Anything that you can imagine as a writer — anytime your imagination kind of expands to what you think is its greatest possibility — Michael can not only realise it but make it bigger and badder.
6 Underground follows six untraceable agents — mastermind One (Reynolds), spy Two (Mélanie Laurent), hitman Three (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), skywalker Four (Ben Hardy), doctor Five (Adria Arjona), and operator Seven (Corey Hawkins) — who form an elite vigilante squad to erase their pasts.
6 Underground is now streaming on Netflix.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).