Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds says he is now a ‘Wrexham lifer’
Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds says his children get “frustrated” when he is stopped in the street to talk about Wrexham.
The actor joked he always made time to talk to fans about the football club he co-owns – much to the annoyance of his three daughters and son.
The Hollywood A-lister teamed up with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Rob Mac in February 2021 to buy the world’s third oldest professional football club.
The pair told The New York Times’ Athletic that, five years on, they still do not fully understand the sport – but Reynolds said he was now “a Wrexham lifer”.
Before Hollywood came calling, Wrexham AFC was struggling.
Relegated from the Football League in 2008, the club was taken over by supporters three years later to save it from going under.
Since the arrival of Reynolds and Mac, the club – now worth £350m – has earned three consecutive promotions to reach the Championship.
‘I’m inconsolable when we lose’
Mac told The Athletic he was inspired to buy his own club after watching the Sunderland FC Netflix documentary ‘Til I Die.
“The community of Wrexham – that is what always drew me in,” he said.
“I just kept looking at the faces of the people and they looked like me. Like people I grew up with.”
At that point, Reynolds and Mac had never met, with their only interaction being an Instagram message of praise from Reynolds about Mac’s comedy series, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
In need of “movie star money” for the takeover, the message led to Mac writing “probably one of the longest e-mails” to Reynolds, who was a virtual stranger.
But the pitch was convincing enough to get the Canadian actor interested.
After recruiting Reynolds, the pair began searching for a club and the story of their journey became the premise of a Disney+ docuseries Welcome to Wrexham, which earned 10 Emmys.
With their investment arguably as famous as their successful acting careers, Reynolds said his children get “frustrated” by the amount of people who want to talk to their dad about the club.
He said: “If we are walking down the street, I’ll get asked about Deadpool [by someone] and it’s usually a two or three-second conversation.
“If someone talks about Wrexham, I just turn right round and park it against a street pole. My kids are like, ‘oh no!'”
Under manager Phil Parkinson, the team now have their eyes on their first ever promotion to the Premier League.
“I know I’m a football fan and a Wrexham lifer because I’m inconsolable when we lose,” said Reynolds.
“I’ve never been as invested in winning and losing before.”
Mac said their plans for the club’s future included completing the Kop stand at The Racecourse ground, to increase the ground’s capacity.
As for the city itself, the pair hope to create a programme of “arts and entrepreneurship” at the local Glyndwr university to attract more students to the area.
Mac said: “[We want to] draw people in, who then stay in Wrexham, to take the artistic spirit and endeavour to build something within the town using arts and business. That seems like a sustainable model that could help from a macroeconomic standpoint.
“Do I want to come and see us win the Premier League? Yes. Do I want to win the Champions League? Yes.
“But, if Wrexham, as a town, is unsuccessful while we are thriving, we have failed.”
Reynolds added: “I see the club as the big, beating heart of the community. Basically, Wrexham’s community centre. Or church.
“They perform the same function, in as much as they bring people together.”
