There’s something surreal about watching a 12-year-old deliver an expletive-laden monologue. This effect is perhaps enhanced when Deadpool himself sits in the foreground reacting to every word. Well, thanks toRyan Reynoldsand his co-star Walker Scobell from the upcoming Netflix filmThe Adam Project, that experience is now available to all.
On January 4th, Reynolds posted a video to his Twitter account featuring Scobell reciting the opening monologue fromDeadpool 2(in whichDeadpool reiterates his strange feud with Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine) entirely from memory. As expected, the more course language is bleeped out in the video, but the whole thing is still there. “No matter what,” Reynolds said in the tweet, “he’s WAY too young to know this monologue by heart. #Precious.” Scobell not only walks through the monologue itself, but also details the action happening during it, making the whole thing charmingly reminiscent of a kid telling some outlandish story to his friends on a playground.
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Netflix’s filmThe Adam Projectfeatures Reynolds as a man who travels back in time to receive help from his younger self, played by Scobell. “Because he takes his job seriously,” Reynolds joked in the tweet, “the role required significant research.” It’s clear that Scobell was already a fan ofReynolds' particular brand of humorbefore this, but the framing of the video adds a humorous suggestion of some rather unorthodox method acting behind it.
The Adam Project, which only just began shooting in November 2020, also stars Jennifer Garner, Zoë Saldaña, and Mark Ruffalo and features Shawn Levy as director, who also directedReynolds in the upcoming 2021 filmFree Guy. Ruffalo plays the late father of Reynolds' character, and is the reason the character travels back in time, as he enlists the help of his younger self to find their father and save the future.
Of course, some may object to not only allowing a young boy to publicly use language like this, but actively encourage it. Reynolds has never been a particularly family-friendly actor, so that sort of thing is expected from him. But the influence shown on young Scobell might be seen by a number of concerned viewers (and parents) as overdoing things.Deadpoolis about as adult-oriented as they come.
On the other hand, it is Hollywood. Not to say all child actors should speak in such a way, but very few things are off-limits when it comes to the world of show business. Since children in the business are typically accompanied by at least one parent or guardian while working, it’s also entirely likely that not only was Scobell’s watcher on hand during this video, but that they also had no objections. Plus, it’s not uncommon for actors to go out of their way toprotect their child co-stars, like Robin Williams. Either way, it’s kind of endearing to see the two co-stars bonding, even if it is in a rather prickly manner.
The Adam Projectis currently in production and has no release date as of yet.
