On the red carpet at the 2010 Fantastic Fest, Reynolds talked about the experience of working on the independent film written by Chris Sparling and directed by Rodrigo Cortes.
Did you expect the film to find an audience the way it has?
Ryan Reynolds: "Most days you’re up against it but you just kind of have to believe in the work you’re doing and hope that it’s going to find an audience. When I was shooting the movie and I signed on, I didn’t really think I’d be standing here talking to you. I figured it might just be a great little experiment and never go beyond that, but lo and behold it kind of caught on."
How long would you go in the box at a time?
Ryan Reynolds: "Gosh, it’s kind of a sliding scale. Towards the end I was in it all the time, because it took too long to get me in and out of it. There was so much debris in there by that point. So yeah, the last day, I got out maybe only two times the whole day."
Is this a dream role or a nightmare?
Ryan Reynolds: "I think it’s a little bit of both. It’s a dream-mare, if that makes any sense. It was both the best case scenario and kind of the worst. It was one of those movies that was so awful to film, but is so not proportionate to the reaction afterwards. I watch the movie now and I’m so glad I did it. But, boy, at the time it was tough."
When it’s all resting on your shoulders, how does it feel to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival?
Ryan Reynolds: "Okay, that’s a good question. Sundance, like a lot of film festivals, there’s a lot of room for experiment. You can go in knowing that you can do something a little bit different and a little bit more avant-garde and kind of get away with it. But what shocked me wasn’t that it was received so well in Sundance, what shocked me is that mainstream audiences that have seen it so far really, really got into the movie. That was amazing. That was something I wasn’t expecting at all."
If people got buried to watch this, what will they do for Green Lantern?
Ryan Reynolds: "My God, I don't know. I think probably go through what I did. String them up by their balls and pull them around town."
What’s more challenging, doing a movie in a box or being a superhero in a light suit?
Ryan Reynolds: "They all have their own unique challenges, but I’d have to say that being in a box is probably more difficult than actually being in a box for real."
Are you all done with Hal Jordan and Green Lantern?
Ryan Reynolds: "I’m completely done with the film. The practical shooting’s done, but obviously the real work begins now. It’s one of those films that’s going to be post-production heavy and there’s going to be a lot of work that goes into it."
When will we hear about Deadpool?
Ryan Reynolds: "I hope soon. I really do. I hope soon."
