Ryan Reynolds recently shared the humorous lengths he went to recruit Bill Murray for his documentary, “John Candy: I Like Me,” a pursuit that involved dozens of messages and a jokingly profane dismissal of his wife, Blake Lively.
Speaking at an event for the film in New Jersey, Reynolds recounted his persistent efforts to contact the comedy legend. After obtaining Murray’s number through a “friend of a friend of a friend,” the “Deadpool” star left a voicemail promising to do “whatever it takes” for a chance to discuss the late John Candy.
The long-awaited callback came at a critical moment. “I’m there with my wife and we’re about to walk in [to a formal event] and my phone buzzes, and I look at it,” Reynolds said. “It says Bill Murray and I go, ‘Bill Murray!'”
As Lively urged him inside, Reynolds prioritized the call, humorously recalling his response to her was, “F–k you!”
However, that initial conversation didn’t secure Murray’s participation. Reynolds admitted to leaving “another 40 messages” in what he described as a “desperate” attempt to finalize the project.
Ultimately, a different strategy worked. Reynolds sent a video message asking for Murray’s involvement while two of his children were trying to distract him. He even had his son make the request, joking, “If you say no to a child like that, I don’t know what kind of monster you are.”
The tactic was an immediate success. “Two seconds later,” Reynolds said, his phone rang. It was Murray, asking simply, “What do you need from me for JC [John Candy]?”
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