With only so many movie roles to go around, and lots of actors vying for the chance to be cast in them, there’s bound to be a competitive spirit among the stars. So when an actor takes time out to praise a peer for a job well done, sometimes it can be noteworthy. Especially when that actor is The Suicide Squad’s Nathan Fillion, who recently shared a very sweet review of Ryan Reynold’s Free Guy.
Back in the late ’90s and early aughts, both actors appeared in the sitcom Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place. It didn’t mark a career high for either of them, but the pair have seemingly kept in touch in the years since it was cancelled (Twitter veterans may remember that they briefly dabbled in a bromance, and shared some wild stories, back in 2015). So it wasn’t totally unexpected when Nathan Fillion shared his thoughts about Ryan Reynolds’ Free Guy on Instagram. What was surprising was how in-depth he went about how much he liked the movie and Reynolds’ performance:
It’s one thing to recommend someone’s movie to your fans and followers, and entirely another to go long on the specific details about why you liked it so much. By calling out his favorite highlights from Ryan Reynolds’ performance in Free Guy and commending his “smart and subtle character work” throughout his career, Nathan Fillion made it clear that he wasn’t just paying lip service to the actor and his new blockbuster hit.
Sometimes it’s easy to be cynical about celebrity interactions on social media. In this case, the star’s words seem entirely sincere and stand as a great example of how social media platforms can be used to spread positivity. And that’s pretty cool.
Of course, the Firefly star isn’t the only celebrity who’s shared their thoughts on Free Guy since its release. Ryan Reynolds’ favorite person to have a faux feud with, Hugh Jackman, also took time to spread the word about the action comedy. And Mariah Carey, who has a personal connection to the movie, also got real about how many times she’d seen it.
As Nathan Fillion hints at the beginning of his Instagram post, we had to wait longer than we thought we would to see the Shawn Levy-directed comedy. Like so many other movies, its release was delayed due to the pandemic.
When it hit theaters in August, though, it was a hit with critics and fans and quickly accumulated some impressive box office numbers, and the fact that it was able to be so successful despite losing early momentum is especially impressive. Nathan Fillion’s candid thoughts on the film could help to explain why it’s been so successful, too–it is clearly resonating with fans, regardless of whether or not they are video game connoisseurs.
